Can You Really Save Money On Gas?

Constantly rising gas prices are making us all search hard for ways to save. Online car insurance rate comparisons are one way to check for savings, but are recent media claims about errors at the gas pumps a cause for concern?

In a word, no. Unless the pump is really cheating you, you won’t save much anyway. There are much easier ways of saving money on gas, and most of them have to do with improving fuel economy. Here are some tips for saving gas without making big changes.

First, consider car maintenance. Many common car maintenance procedures can really affect gas mileage. An oil change, including a new filter and synthetic oil, can help your car use less gas by making the engine run better. A tune up does the same thing, especially if you make sure your air filter is checked or replaced at the same time. Properly aligning and inflating the tires means your car wastes less gas fighting resistance.

Next, think about your driving habits. Slow down a little. Driving over 60 steadily cuts your car’s gas mileage. Don’t start and stop so suddenly. Hard acceleration uses a lot of gas to move a little distance, and hard braking uses gas until the last possible second. If your car has them, use gas-saving features like cruise control and overdrive. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save by easing off the pedal.

Also, take a look at how you use your car. You might be able to save money on gas by combining multiple trips, or walking and biking more often. Reducing your annual mileage to below 10,000 miles could also reduce your car insurance rate. Your car uses a lot of gas when it’s idling—more than restarting its warmed-up engine does.

Finally, try saving some money on your car insurance rate. Check out our free online car insurance rate tool and get as many quotes as you want. It’s definitely one of the easiest ways to save money on your car.

Pinching Pennies? Don't Drop Car Insurance

In these tough economic times, you may be tempted to skip car insurance coverage. Don’t. We’re all feeling the squeeze, but neglecting required car insurance could be a huge mistake.

All states have minimum car insurance laws. You might think you can get away without it if you can just avoid accidents, but you can’t be sure. Driving without car insurance is a crime. Most states have laws requiring you to show proof of insurance whenever it’s asked for. Often this includes random checkpoints that will catch you whether you’ve done something wrong or not.

Many states even have surprise car insurance inspections. In these, you have to mail in proof of insurance showing you were covered on the day they sent the letter. Once you’re caught without insurance, it’s too late.

Penalties for failing to maintain car insurance can range from a fine, to a suspended license, to jail time. If you get caught, your car or license plates could be impounded until you can pay the fine. Then, you have to pay another fee to reinstate your registration. It’s quite possible that all of these penalties could happen at once.

If you’re in an accident, there could be strict penalties imposed on you when you try to drive later. In addition to the problems described earlier, you’ll probably have to continuously maintain a bond or other proof of car insurance. If this bond expires or is cancelled, you’ll be subject to penalties again. States such as Ohio require you to keep this bond on file with an Ohio insurance company—even if you move out of state.

Also, keep in mind that car insurance is there to protect you. If you get in a car accident and cause damage to someone or their property, you’ll have to pay whatever your car insurance doesn’t cover. You can either pay a little now or a lot later.

Above all, if you think car insurance is expensive now, just try getting it after being caught without insurance. You’ll be in a new high risk category, and you’ll be expected to pay a lot even though you’re not a bad driver. Rates are on the rise around the nation, but car insurance is not optional. It’s illegal to drive without car insurance, and it won’t save you money.

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to get cheap car insurance, you can get a free online car insurance quote from Insurance.com. Or call one of our licensed agents, who can help you figure out how to save money.

Second Quarter 2008 Car Insurance Rate Report

Insurance.com's quarterly Car Insurance Rate Report found that the lowest car insurance quotes, on average, increased 3.4% over the previous quarter, rising from $1,831 per year to $1,893 per year. The rate report is based on real-time auto insurance quotes given to consumers from more than a dozen insurance companies during the second quarter. It marks the second consecutive quarter of rate increases, following last quarter's 1% increase, reversing the trend of steady or falling auto rates for the past several years.

• Among the top 10 states seeing the sharpest increase in auto rates in the 2nd Quarter were Indiana (up 6.7%), Texas (up 4.3%), Nevada (up 4.1%), Illinois (up 3.8%) and Pennsylvania (up 3.6%).
• The most expensive states quoted this quarter are Louisiana ($2,577), New Jersey ($2,544), and Delaware ($2,300), and the District of Columbia ($2,466).
• States seeing declines in auto premium prices include North Carolina (down 8.7%), New Hampshire (down 4.1%), Tennessee (down 3.7%), Louisiana (down 3.6%) and Delaware (down 3.3%).
• Half of the least expensive States saw decreases in their premium, including Ohio, which saw an increase in premiums last quarter. Premiums in North Carolina also dropped again after a very small increase last quarter.

Wondering where your state ranked in the Insurance.com 2008 Second Quarter Car Insurance Rate Report? Below is a list of the 48 states Insurance.com surveyed. States are ranked in alphabetical order with the price increase or decrease displayed as a percentage for each state.

ABOUT THE CAR INSURANCE RATE REPORT
Insurance.com's latest Car Insurance Rate Report highlights the lowest average car insurance rates quoted to consumers visiting Insurance.com in the second quarter of 2008. The rates consumers viewed, but didn't necessarily purchase, come from auto insurance quotes consumers received as they shopped and compared rates from over a dozen of the nation's leading auto insurance companies. Over the course of a year, Insurance.com provides online car insurance quotes to more than 1 million people visiting the website. While the Car Insurance Rate Report is a broad indicator of pricing activity in the personal auto insurance marketplace, it is not a comprehensive index as it reflects only the quotes of carriers that have participated in the Insurance.com platform in the states where it quotes (all states except Alaska, Hawaii, and Massachusetts). Due to market changes, New York rates are not available this quarter.