Money can be tight these days, we know that. It seems every day a new bill pops up, and one of those bills that always stresses people out is their car insurance bill. Car insurance is incredibly expensive, and can really take a toll out of your finances. In fact, West Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma and Louisiana all pay an average of over $2,000 per year on car insurance. Luckily, we’ve compiled a list of tips on how you can save yourself money when it comes to car insurance.

Do a Yearly Rate Check

You don’t need to stay loyal to your insurance provider. There’s no reason why you can’t shop around when it comes to seeing if you can pay less for car insurance. It’s an extremely easy process – a quick Google search can yield multiple results of insurance comparing websites. While the quote won’t be immediate, you will get an email later on.

Drive Safely

This may seem like a no-brainer but many people seem to forget just how important driving safely is. It’s not just about your personal safety – it can save you money. Insurance companies keep tabs on everything that happens with your car – it’s not just accidents.

Something as small as a speeding ticket can really drive up car insurance premiums. They look at it as you are a reckless driver and therefore are more likely to cause an accident. When you get a speeding ticket, you may be offered to take driving classes to keep the ticket off of your record. While this may seem like a pricey option, it’s recommended you take it – it can save you a ton of money in the future.

Consider Usage-Based Insurance

If you live somewhere where you don’t need to drive as often, you should look into going with an insurer that offers a usage-based driving insurance. Rather than using a flat rate month-by-month, these insurance policies base the rates on how much you drive, and also how well you drive. This works by installing a device in your car that transmits the data over to your insurance provider. If you have low driving mileage and safe driving habits you can score a huge discount! This option isn’t available everywhere yet, so look into if your state provides you with this coverage!

Drive a Car That’s Cheap to Insure

Lastly, research which cars provide the cheapest insurance rates. Everything about a car can affect how much the insurance provider will charge – how many doors, what type of body and even the color. Safe and moderately priced cars can save you a ton of money in insurance – so look at mid-sized SUV’s or even a mini-van.

Insurance can get incredibly expensive, and it can make it hard to afford driving with the price of cars and gasoline being so high already. However, there are things you can do to make those insurance rates go down. If you spend some time looking and have patience, you can find affordable insurance rates that won’t break your bank!