You’ve definitely seen many of those cars that the TV show “Pimp My Ride” and many other love to highlight. It has become a real fad among car owners, especially the younger ones, to customize their vehicles for the purpose of reflecting their individuality through the car they drive. Sure, in such an individualistic society as we all are there’s nothing wrong or bad about such a fad. However, quite often when it comes to insuring such vehicles their owners tend to overlook the changes their car has be subjected to, believing that their policy will cover it in case of an accident. And it’s such a bitter feeling when they actually file a claim and get covered partially or denied coverage in general. What’s wrong with custom cars that insurance companies are so picky about them?

First of all let’s take a look at what the insurance company covers in the first place. When you purchase a policy the company is obliged to cover the losses to your car in its form as the policy was signed according to its market value or independent evaluation. What happens when you decide to customize it? You change certain parts of the car from original to custom and effectively alter the market value of your vehicle. Let’s agree that installing a stereo system worth of 6k to your 3k Honda Civic is actually altering its price in a drastic manner. And in case you end up filing a claim for the altered value and configuration of your vehicle the insurance company has the right to deny you with coverage simply because you’ve altered the value of the insurance object without informing the insurer. It’s like buying a cheap computer, upgrading it with the most advanced parts, and then trying to get a refund for the final value of your PC because there was a short circuit in your flat.

The fad for electric and hybrid drive is still on the rise these days, with more models being introduced by car makers and new incentives offered for purchasing such environmental-friendly vehicles. You see more of these vehicles on the road and it may look like a good bargain to buy one. But what’s the situation when you actually try to insure such cars? Are they on par with their carbon-footprint peers or there are some peculiarities when it comes to covering such vehicles?

While electric motor vehicles haven’t been around for long enough to speak about any lengthy claims history, hybrid cars have been on the market for almost a decade and insurance providers have all the statistics they need to determine adequate insurance rates for such vehicles. And to much surprise, owning a hybrid vehicle doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll get better insurance rates.

The world seems unsettled. Looking over to North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf States, there’s a move for people to claim more democratic rights. That’s great except for the fact most of our oil comes from that neck of the woods. Those of you who follow the financial news will already know the spot price for crude has been rising fast as dealers worry about whether supply can be maintained. We’re already seeing the results feed through to the pumps as the price of gas rises through the $3 per gallon mark. The doomsayers are predicting we’ll be back up to $4 and higher come the summer and fall unless everything calms down quickly. Whether the predictions turn out right is not important right now. We should all be using less oil anyway. Sooner or later it’s going to run out. If we use less now, that delays the problem of replacement until later.

Whether you’re into environmental issues or just can’t stand paying all those extra dollars to fill up your tank, there’s a growing movement in the insurance market you should be watching. This is the pay-as-you-drive policy. This is a very simple change. At present, the majority of companies offer discounts to those who say they drive less. But there’s a lot of cheating going on and it’s been difficult for the insurers to keep tabs on who plays by the rules. Well, technology is catching up with drivers in a real sense. Alongside the fitting of GPS transmitters, many new makes and models also carry on-board computer systems that monitor the performance of the engine and all the consumables like brake pads. This is great because, when something goes wrong, it’s easier to hitch your vehicle up to a computer and ask it what’s wrong. So, for insurance companies, you can have your vehicle transmit data on how many miles you drive at different times of the day. This will give you major savings if you only drive a few miles at off-peak times. Obviously, this will produce discounts for seniors and homemakers who only make short trips during the day.

There are many who complain about all the irrelevant factors insurers take into account when setting premium rates. It’s unfair for them to look at where we live. And just what do out credit scores have to do with how well we drive? They are all for the assessment of risk being personal with the lowest premiums going to the drivers who manage to act like angels, avoiding accidents and never picking up tickets. In reality, this is all a matter of pure luck. No matter how well or defensively you drive, this fails to consider the maniac behind the wheel of the other vehicle that comes plowing into you. Or the magic day you got pulled over and the officer took pity on you and waved you on with a verbal warning.

So what do you do if you pull the short straw of the day and pick up a speeding ticket? Well, the first decision is whether to fight. Sometimes, going to court to argue the merits can pay off. The officer may be ill that day and no one appears to give evidence against you. Who knows. Anything is better than picking up those points. Except. . . except there are some states where you can do something to take back time. In California, Florida, New York, Wisconsin and, now, Michigan, there are driver improvement programs.

Sometimes, saving money on your insurance premium involves more than just getting a discount on your policy cost; it involves taking advantage of expensive systems that the insurance company has set up to make your customer experience better so that you are getting the most for your premium dollars. Insurance companies have embraced the digital era slowly, but now that they realize this wave of technology is here to stay, they have used it to create websites that offer more than just a marketing slogan.

As a customer, there are many things you can use your insurer’s website for. Things like:

Getting quotes: If you want to make changes to your policy, you can often use an insurance company’s website to request the changes and see what your new premium would be. For instance, when using an auto insurance company’s website, you may be able to add a new car to the coverage, change deductibles and limits and even add coverages. You’ll also get to see the cost of these changes before committing to them.