Does having a baby reduce car insurance?

Here's what you need to know...

When you reach a new stage of your life, it’s important to review your insurance portfolio to see if you need more protection
When you have a baby, you may require a new vehicle. If you purchase a new vehicle with a better safety rating through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, you may be able to lower your auto insurance premiums
Having a baby without making any other changes to your policy won’t affect your insurance rates
If you buy a home or you are more concerned about protecting your assets and wages, it’s a good idea to raise your liability limits
Being a parent isn’t considered a rating factor, but there are several rating factors that can increase or decrease the price that you pay for insurance

When you find out that you’re about to be a parent, nine months doesn’t seem like enough time to prepare. Not only do you have to worry about buying all of the baby essentials that you need to rear a newborn, you also have to learn everything that you can about caring for your baby once you leave the hospital.

After you check items off of your to-do list and you get used to having a newborn in your home, you need to make time to sit down and review your auto insurance portfolio.

Failing to do this can put your finances at risk during a time where they are more important than ever. If you are curious to learn how having a baby can affect your car insurance policy and rates, here’s what you should know.

Start comparison shopping today to make sure you have enough coverage to protect every member of your family. Enter you zip code in our FREE tool to get started!

Does becoming a parent increase or decrease your insurance rates?

pexels-photo-54536-1600x1600 A number of different factors have an affect on your personal car insurance rates. When you were a single driver, you might have paid more for coverage than you do now that you’re married. Your rates also tend to go down as you gain driving experience. These factors might bring rates down, but having your first baby won’t have an immediate impact on your rates.

What rating factors help determine your auto insurance pricing?

Parenthood might not be used as a determinant for calculating your premiums, but there are several other factors that carriers use that help to customize your rates. Some of these factors can change after major life events like having a baby.

Familiarizing yourself with rating factors is important so that you know when you should contact your insurer to update your policy. If anything changes that could affect your rates, it’s your duty under your insurance contract to contact your insurer.

Here are some rating factors that are used to assign risk classes and determine rates:

Driving experience, age, gender, and marital status
Credit-based insurance score
Homeowner status
Driving habits, vehicle usage, and annual mileage
Occupation or affiliation to professional organizations
Driving record
Accident and claims history
Vehicle type, safety record, and cost to repair
Rating territory and garaging territory
Prior insurance experience
Coverage limits and coverage options

Which rating factors could change after you have a baby?

AdobeStock_40363453-1600x1600 Welcoming a baby to your home can change your life in so many ways. This is why your rates could be impacted indirectly after you finally become a parent. If you experience any of these changes, you should contact your agent immediately:

You move to a new area and your car is stored in a new zip code
You go from being a renter to a homeowner
You start to work from home
You change occupations and your commute changes
You add new safety features to your car
You trade in an old car for a safer and more family-friendly model
You no longer commute in your vehicle

Should you raise your coverage limits when you have a baby?

Just because your rates won’t automatically change when you have a baby doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider reviewing your auto insurance limits and expanding your coverage options.

Having a baby can cost a small fortune and you need to make sure that you have the money to pay for all of the expenses that you take on after your little one reaches each milestone.

If you have bare minimum coverage limits, it’s strongly recommended that you raise your liability limits for adequate financial protection. It’s even more important to raise those limits when you own a house or you have other assets that a claimant could come after. Most insurance experts recommend that vehicle owners carry at least:

$100,000 per person, and $300,000 per accident in Bodily Injury Liability
$100,000 per accident in Property Damage Liability

Are there additional coverage options to consider?

AdobeStock_107861306-1600x1600 If you don’t already have a comprehensive insurance policy, you should consider adding some additional forms of coverage to your insurance. Having strictly liability coverage puts you at risk with or without children, but the impact of an accident will be much greater when you have children to take care of. Here are some options to consider:

Uninsured Motorist Protection – Pays for your medical expenses when someone hits you who doesn’t have insurance or who has low limits of liability
Medical Payments Coverage – Pays for your medical bills when you are injured in an auto-related accident regardless of who’s at fault
Rental Car Reimbursement – Pays for a rental car when you have a covered loss and need a temporary substitute

Having a Baby Can Affect Rates Later

Your little newborn will grow into an adolescent much faster than you expect. When your baby is finally a teen, having a child will affect your rates when they are licensed. It seems like a long way away, but time flies when you’re a parent.

If you’re reviewing your insurance portfolio and you are not happy with your rates, it’s time to start shopping around. You should look to see if you can drive your rates down so that you can lower your expenses before you take on new ones.

Use our FREE online rate comparison tool and get instant quotes right away. Just enter your zip code to get started!

References:

from Auto Insurance | Compare Cheap Online Auto Insurance Quotes http://ift.tt/29j7gmf

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