What Is Pay As You Drive?

The latest innovation in auto insurance is Pay As You Drive. As its name implies, Pay As You Drive sets your premiums on the basis of how many miles you drive. Drive less, pay less. Drive more, pay more. Pay As You Drive policies can be tailored to meet each driver’s specific needs.

There are several ways of computing Pay As You Drive premiums. You can pay a flat rate for a range of miles, pay on the basis of the number of miles you actually drive during a preset time frame, or pay by the number of hours you drive in a given time period. Pay As You Drive premiums may also be based simply on the miles you drive without a fixed time period.

Since driving distance or driving time sets your insurance rates, your driving has to be monitored. You can get periodic certified odometer readings, or your automobile may be fitted with GPS monitors that upload the vehicle’s computer data.

Mileage monitoring causes concern in some potential Pay As You Drive customers. Not without reason, some customers worry that the devices used to track distance or time used could also be used to track where the insured motorist drives, violating privacy. However, Pay As You Drive only uses the numbers of miles or hours driven and nothing else. Privacy is simply not an issue with this new form of insurance.

You can benefit several different ways by switching to Pay As You Drive coverage. Your insurance premiums will be based just on your miles driven, not on your age, gender, or where you live. Pay As You Drive gives you a real incentive to drive less. And when you drive fewer miles, not only do you pay less for your insurance, you save on gas and maintenance and the wear and tear on your car. Pay As You Drive plans are good for the environment, because fewer miles driven means less greenhouse gas emissions, and less congestion on the road.

In addition, low mileage drivers will no longer subsidize high mileage drivers under the Pay As You Drive insurance system. Under a traditional insurance system, drivers pay the same amount for insurance premiums if they drive a few hundred miles a year or if they drive several thousand. Pay As You Drive is a more fair and equitable way of determining insurance premiums. You really do pay for what you use under this system.

According to a report from the Brookings Institution, two-thirds of U.S. households would save an average of $270 a year on auto insurance under a Pay As You Drive insurance system.

If you are interested in learning more about Pay As You Drive insurance, or to see if it is available in your area, contact a qualified insurance provider. He or she can help you tailor a Pay As You Drive insurance program to fit your specific needs.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.

Tips for Budget Car Shopping

While driving a new car is a lot of fun, shopping for one can be a pain. Throw in a tight credit market due to the unstable economy, and that makes looking for a new car even more frustrating.

But you can get a good deal on a car without breaking your budget. First of all, figure out what you can afford. This is the most important step and should be the first place you start. Sit down and take a good, hard look at your budget. Figure out what you can realistically afford. Make sure you include insurance premiums, gas, maintenance, license and registration in your costs. Once you have a shopping budget, you can move on to the next step.

The second step in buying a new car on a budget is to consider how you will use it. Do you drive mostly on city streets? Do you have a long commute down a highway? Do you need to carry passengers, or is hauling equipment and luggage your first priority? Your budget and your driving needs determine the kind of car you should buy.

Next, decided whether your next car needs to be new to the world or just new to you. In the past, most people bought new cars because they were considered to be, and generally were, more reliable. With improvements in technology, however, previously owned cars are more reliable?but you do have to access the vehicle’s maintenance and repair history. You do not want to buy a used car that has had major repairs you do not know about.

You have two options for budget car shopping. You can either buy a car or lease a car, and that is a decision you need to make before you start shopping. Leasing a car tends to be cheaper because the monthly payments are lower, a smaller down payment is required, and it?s a good option if you trade cars every two or three years. But if you tend to keep cars for longer than three years and can afford a down payment, buying is your better option in the long run. High mileage drivers should also consider buying over leasing because leases have restrictions on the amount of miles you can drive in a given period, and if you go over your allotted miles, then you have to pay extra fees on the lease, which will eat up any savings you may have gained from the lease in the first place.

Whichever you decide, buy or lease, be prepared to negotiate. Get the price on the model you want from multiple dealers. Look for specials. At the end of the sales year, dealers are eager to move older models off the lot to make room for the next year’s design. Search the Internet for even more great deals and special offers.

Finally, if you plan to use financing, get your loan approval before you even go to the dealership. Getting your financing approved in advance makes you a much more desirable customer, and you are far more likely to get their best deal.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.