The Effect of Marital Status on Car Insurance Rates

Marital status affect car insurance rates since married drivers usually get lower premiums. Insurance companies estimate that married people are safer drivers in comparison to singles.  Insurance providers use several statistics to calculate premiums such as claims, traffic accidents, driving records, age, and marital status. These statistics assist insurance providers to determine the likelihood of policyholders to experience traffic violations and accidents. Since married people have lower statistics for car accidents, they pay less in insurance premiums on average.

It is important to know that auto insurance premiums vary greatly on a person-to-person basis regardless of marital status. Many factors affect married drivers’ premiums, other than their marital status, like insuring multiple cars and good driving records.

Insuring Multiple Cars

Married couples with more than one car can take advantage of multiple car discounts offered at several insurance companies. Married people can combine multiple car discounts with additional discounts like safe driving for even lower premiums.

Clean Driving Records

Insurance companies check on several details to determine rates. Drivers, who are married, with clean driving records get extra discounts that can save hundreds of pounds a year on car insurance. Insurance providers simply consider that married drivers are more responsible, while on the road, based on lower car accidents and insurance claims as reported by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety) database.

Marital Status Discounts

Consumers get discounts based on their marital status, which could affect married, separated, and widowed drivers.

1. Married. Married drivers can search for car insurance quotes with sizeable savings on car premiums solely for being married. Married drivers get the cheapest quotes as opposed to divorced people. However, drivers with spouses with bad credit records could cause combine car premiums to increase. For example, being married to someone with traffic violations like reckless driving or DUI directly impact car insurance rates. Car insurance providers may even cancel or suspend auto insurance policies based on the severity of a traffic event from a spouse. Make sure to check your partner’s driving record before applying to multiple driver insurance.


2. Separated. Drivers that have been separated for extended periods will have to eventually report the location of where their cars are stored to the insurance provider. Extended separations may require couples to file for separate insurance premiums, losing some discounted rates. Shop online, after changing a marital status, to get the best deals on car insurance premiums.


3. Widowed. Insurance companies should be contacted to restructure a car insurance policy, if the unfortunate event of losing a spouse happens. Insurance providers have different policies to deal with the death of a spouse. Check for discount extensions as many insurance providers maintain premiums for previously insured widowers.

Many insurance providers have discounted car premiums available to people just for being married. If you are married, take your time to search for auto insurance providers with special discounts based on your marital status. Compare rates and policies to guarantee the best deal for the desired coverage.