Motorcycle Insurance Articles
Options On Your Car And How They Affect Your Motorcycle Insurance Quote
2010-04-06
Many motorcycle owners have other vehicles. While motorcycles are a lot of fun, they're not great everyday transportation for commuters who live in rainy or snowy climates, or anyone who needs to travel with a lot of luggage, so chances are, if you've got a bike, you've got a car, too. You might even have a pretty great car, which you protect with large amounts of insurance coverage, particularly if you've upgraded the vehicle (or if you just prefer to stay safe). As you've got to buy insurance for both vehicles, however, it's helpful to know how car insurance options can potentially affect your motorcycle insurance quote.
In general, there's not a lot of correlation, as the policies are treated separately. However, claims on your car insurance policy could affect your motorcycle insurance premium, and vice-versa. This is because insurance companies try to use every possible reliable method to gauge whether or not you'll make a claim on your motorcycle coverage, and your car driving habits and trends are a great way to do this. Therefore, you could potentially see higher motorcycle costs if you make several car insurance claims, and the more coverage and optional add-ons you buy for your car, the better the chance of a claim.
There's good news, though. Insurance companies like to sell a lot of insurance, as you might expect, and the more coverage you buy, the better your chances of negotiating with your insurance company for a lower rate. While your premiums might be more at risk when you buy more coverage, you're certainly at a lower overall risk if you're involved in an accident, and since you're buying more than one policy you can often talk your way to great rates. This is most effective if you're buying both your car insurance and your motorcycle insurance from the same company, of course. Look into various ways to decrease your risks before you buy either car or motorcycle insurance coverage, and talk to your insurance agent. Be sure to mention your driving record (if it's good, of course) and the additional coverage options you're interested in purchasing.
Gather several car and motorcycle quotes online before buying. This will help you to negotiate, as you'll be able to tell your agent about competitor's rates. Don't buy less coverage simply because you're worried about a claim; with the right approach, most drivers will be able to get lower all-around costs when buying policies for both a car and a bike, and over the life of each policy you could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in insurance premiums. It is worth the time to research all of the options available.