car insurance (home, rent, work)

[june]

Does AZ car insurance rate you on your driving record or your credit score for insurance? New York goes by your credit score. How stupid so if you have a great driving record and a low credit score your insurance is sky high. But if your driving record is terrible 20 tickets , 15 accidents etc. and your credit score is perfect you get low car insurance. Does this make sense?











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[foma]

We have USAA so it's nationwide but our insurance actually went UP moving from upstate NY. UPSTATE! I just couldn't believe it. When I switched over our address from NY to AZ, my agent didn't say anything about doing a credit check so I don't know if the rates in AZ are based on credit score or not. Good luck!

[aj661]

Originally Posted by june

Does AZ car insurance rate you on your driving record or your credit score for insurance? New York goes by your credit score. How stupid so if you have a great driving record and a low credit score your insurance is sky high. But if your driving record is terrible 20 tickets , 15 accidents etc. and your credit score is perfect you get low car insurance. Does this make sense?

No it doesn't. I am not a fan of insurance companies. Unless you know an agent, I don't know if you can get a completely honest answer. I don't think insurance companies in AZ or anywhere for that matter, universally use the same criteria.

I understand they are in business to make money, but I also think they gouge most people. I have a good driving record and a great credit score, so you'd think I'd get good rates. I tested a theory I had that insurance rates where determined somewhat like airline tickets: The price for a policy can change from one day - or hour- to the next. I won't name the big nat'l company, but I got quotes from different sources within the same company, and got different rates.

Another beef I have is how they determine rates by age and sex. I understand young males, especially teenagers, are a 'high' risk. But shouldn't it go down over time if they have no wrecks or tickets? My son has been driving for about four years now, only stopped once for having a taillight out. Didn't even get a repair order let alone a ticket. So why has his policy gotten cheaper? At least my new company is charging less for the family overall.

[sablebaby]

I don't think mine does (state farm), but I do know that my friend who switched to Farmer's saidthey used theirs as a factor to get a really good deal (they have high credit scores). So, I think it was just a bonus for them to use it.

[azloafer]

My State Farm Agent says that the rate is determined by the driving record only. That's all that I know about it.

[shadow91]

Geico insurance uses your credit score, something they don't specify on their huge advertising commercials. I know because someone at work told me and when I called them, they acknowledged to me that they do, depending on orginal score they may order your credit report two times a year, and we all know the more inquiries into your credit score, the lower the score goes.

[jco]

Wow... I can't believe it's based on your credit score! Maybe a person's credit score would be higher if they didn't spend all their money on car insuracne.

I'm not sure about every agency, but my insurance company bases the cost on the make/model/year of the car, the age/gender of the driver, driving record, and zip code (if you live in a zip code where your car is stolen frequently, your rate will be higher). You can also get a discount for having multiple lines (more than one car or your homeowners/renters insurance), good driving, good grades, etc. Hope this helps!

I thought that I would add the most stolen cars in AZ (2004 report):
1990 Honda Accord
2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
1994 Nissan Sentra
1991 Honda Civic
1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup
1997 Ford F150 Series
1994 Saturn SL
1998 Dodge Neon
1997 Nissan Altima
1999 Ford F250 Series

In 2007 Hondas were still most stolen, and overall the older model cars are more likely to be stolen.

[aj661]

Originally Posted by aj661

No it doesn't. I am not a fan of insurance companies. Unless you know an agent, I don't know if you can get a completely honest answer. I don't think insurance companies in AZ or anywhere for that matter, universally use the same criteria.

I understand they are in business to make money, but I also think they gouge most people. I have a good driving record and a great credit score, so you'd think I'd get good rates. I tested a theory I had that insurance rates where determined somewhat like airline tickets: The price for a policy can change from one day - or hour- to the next. I won't name the big nat'l company, but I got quotes from different sources within the same company, and got different rates quoted on the same day.

Another beef I have is how they determine rates by age and sex. I understand young males, especially teenagers, are a 'high' risk. But shouldn't it go down over time if they have no wrecks or tickets? My son has been driving for about four years now, only stopped once for having a taillight out. Didn't even get a repair order let alone a ticket. So why hasn't his policy gotten cheaper? At least my new company is charging less for the family overall.

I need to proof read better! Corrections to original post in noted in bold above.