All car owners know how expensive auto insurance can be. A medium sedan can cost around $1,106 per year to insure, which is around 15% of the total cost of the car. Car owners tend to pay more for insurance every year than they pay for maintenance, gas and tires. A number of factors affect your car insurance rates. While some of them like your age or your gender aren’t in your control, there are others that you can. You can either make changes in your policy to lower your premiums or in your behaviour to be a low-risk driver. We bring you the best ways to get your hands on cheap auto insurance Calgary:

1. Choose Your Coverage Wisely
By law, you only need liability insurance, which pays for the injuries and damages caused to the other driver in an accident. Some drivers also choose collision coverage, which pays for the damages to your car in the accident. Comprehensive coverage pays for damage due to theft, natural calamities or vandalism. This coverage can be quite expensive; anywhere between $600 to $2000. If you own an older car, you can skip these coverages and save some money and if you have a good medical insurance policy, you can skip the uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage too.

2. Raise Your Deductible
If you choose to keep your comprehensive and collision coverage, you can save money by raising your deductible. Every time you make a claim, this is the money you’ll have to pay from your pocket. For example, if repairs cost $1500 and your deductible is $500, you will have to arrange for the $500 and your insurance company will pay $1000. The higher your deductible, the less you pay for your coverage. Raising your deductible by a few hundred dollars can save anywhere between 15% to 40%.

3. Bundle Your Policies
You can get cheap auto insurance Calgary when you bundle all your policies together and choose just one company for all your insurance needs. You can bundle your home and car together to save around 10 to 20%, add more than one vehicle to save 10-25% and insure all the drivers in your family under the same policy.

4. Opt for a Usage-Based Insurance
The more time you’re driving on the road, the greater your chances of being involved in an accident. Many insurance companies offer a discount to drivers who tend to drive less than average. If you don’t drive a lot, it may be a good idea to speak to your insurance company and get a good discount. If you carpool, combine errands or take a bike to work, you can save a lot more too.

5. Look for Other Discounts
Car owners who have a cheap auto insurance Calgary know where to look for discounts. You can qualify for a lot more discounts if you ask your broker or do one of the following:
• Install safety features in your car
• Be a good student with good grades in high school and college
• If you celebrate your age! 55 and above drivers can get a seniors’ discount and save up to 15%.
• Stick to your company and get a loyalty discount
• Pay your insurance bills in lump sum

When you’re looking for insurance, look at your personal scenario and get quotes targeted to your lifestyle and the car you drive. You can definitely get an affordable auto insurance plan with these tips.