Accidents aren’t the only way your insurance can go up.

How do you keep car insurance rates low? This is a question every driver stares down, especially when the bill comes in and, bafflingly, your rates have gone up. Here is what you need to know about insuring a car, and what can increase, or reduce, your rates.

Gender

Sorry, gentlemen, but the bad habits of other men precede you. While the degree of impact on prices depends on more than just your gender, at the start of your driving career, expect to pay more if you are a man. The good news is that a consistently good driving record can mitigate a lot of the “man tax” on your insurance over time.

Age

How old you are tends to dictate a lot of things about how you drive. While people may insist that with age comes wisdom, the insurance companies have the statistics to prove that with age comes a higher chance of wrecking your car. Once you pass the watershed age of 50, your chances of being involved in an accident, at fault or not, start inching up. In turn that means your insurance company will be just a little more at risk, and they adjust rates accordingly.

Credit Rating

As you know, for better or for worse, your credit rating dictates a lot about what you pay elsewhere; the same is true of car insurance. The likeliest credit issue to affect rates is a sudden, steep drop in your credit rating. People who experience those tend to be in situations that make them less likely to be safe on the road, for a multitude of reasons. Insurance companies tend to adjust rates accordingly. If you know a credit hit is coming, it might be worth talking to your insurer if your rates head upward to see about reducing them. Of course, if your score improves, you should ask about a downward revision in your insurance premium as well.

Even the safest drivers get into accidents, but rates change over more than just fender benders.

Mileage

It is a simple equation. The more you drive, the more likely you are to get in a wreck. Insurance companies are building entire programs around this premise that track exactly how much you drive and how carefully you drive. So, if how much you drive starts heading upward, whether because of a big move or a new job, you should expect your car insurance to go up too. The solution is simple enough; reduce the amount of miles you drive. That may not be entirely possible depending on your situation, but if you can keep off the road except when you absolutely have to drive, your rates will stay lower.

Getting Married

It does not seem fair that being married, or divorced, would have an effect on your car insurance. Should not single people enjoy the same benefits as married couples? Insurers argue that married people are less likely to get into accidents or have driving problems than their single counterparts, and they have tweaked rates accordingly.

Keep in mind that all of these factors can be negotiable, and they are not the only factors that can boost, or reduce, your insurance rates. So call your insurer and talk to him or her about discounts you can find, or how to tweak your rates. You should always do this before looking for a new car. When you have your insurance all set, start looking for your car with research from CarFoundMe.