Car insurance is necessary to protect you financially when behind the wheel. Whether you just have basic liability insurance or you have full auto coverage, it’s important to ensure that you’re getting the best deal possible. Car prices are rising rapidly and so

are the car insurance premiums, especially after the recent hike in the thirty-party insurance. Under such circumstances, you know the ways to reduce your car insurance premiums.

1.Drive safely  (and slowly)

Auto insurance is expensive enough in the normal course. But if you have accidents or moving violations, it can be ridiculously expensive. Avoiding accidents and driving more carefully are among the best ways to keep your auto insurance at a minimum.

If you already have moving violations, avoid adding more to your record going forward.

Even if you have one or more moving violations in the recent past, time can be your friend here. In most states, moving violations are dropped from your driving record after three years. While you are waiting, remember, being a safe driver pays!

2. Buy an “insurance-friendly” car

The car you drive makes a big difference in your auto insurance premiums. There’s not much you can do about that right now, but there’s plenty that you can do when the time comes to buy a new car. When you do, make sure that car is auto insurance-friendly.

So avoid excessively expensive or sporty cars.

At a minimum, the cost of your collision coverage will rise with the value of the vehicle. But beyond costs, it’s also important to understand that certain vehicles carry higher insurance charges. For example, any vehicle that could be at least loosely interpreted as a sports car will cost more for insurance.

Next, choose cars with plenty of safety features

In addition to the type of car, and the amount you pay for it, you should also make sure it has certain safety features. Those features can result in lower insurance premiums.

The best way to go about this is to get a list of safety equipment that will result in a lower car insurance premium from your auto insurance company. Once you do, be sure that any car you buy incorporates as many as possible. Some examples include: a security system, passenger and rear seat airbags, and anti-lock brakes.

3. Take a defensive driving course

If your driving record is below average, this can be a relatively quick way to lower your car insurance rate. Some insurance companies will offer a discount if you complete a defensive driving course. The one that you took in high school won’t do. It must be a course that you have completed recently.

There is one caveat here, however—make sure that the cost of the driving course doesn’t wipe out any savings that you’ll get from the reduced premium. It may still be worth taking the course if it only eats up the savings for the first year. After that, you’ll get the benefit of the discount for each year thereafter.

4. Take advantage of behavior-based discounts

Good drivers help insurance companies make money. For that reason, companies like Liberty Mutual beat the competition by offering discounts to those with clean driving histories. That means that you’ll get rewarded for not having traffic violations etc.

Plus Liberty Mutual is big on customization so that you’re only paying for coverage you need. All the discounts that they can possibly find, I’ve found help bring that total cost down. With auto insurance, it definitely adds up.5. Yes, it can pay to s

Many people stay with the same auto insurance carrier for years, but that’s not always the best course of action. Despite loyalty incentives, most insurance carriers slowly raise your rates over many years because they count on customers being too lazy to shop around.

You should compare auto insurance rates from competing companies at least every two years.

This is important because every year different companies choose to cut their prices in order to attract new business. They may offer discounts that are very attractive when compared to the company that has been handling your auto insurance for the past five years. Auto insurance is actually a more competitive market than most of us know, so that does require some investigation from time to time.