Before you buy your next car insurance policy, it is vital to make sure that you are getting the best coverage at the best price. You should also make sure that you are making the entire process as simple as possible for you, especially if you are in the military. Military personnel are frequently on the move or may even be leaving the country but will want to keep up their auto insurance coverage.

Military Personnel Still Need the Right Level of Coverage

Before you start shopping for insurance, it is important to know what kind of car insurance is right for you. Here are some questions that you should ask before you start looking for quotes:

• Do you own your car outright or is there a payment remaining?
• Are you taking your car with you to a different state or leaving it behind?
• If you are leaving your car behind, will it be driven by someone else, garaged or stored?
• What are the typical hazards in the area that you where will be driving?
• Will your insurance cover you for those hazards?

If you own your car, you can choose insurance based on the state’s minimum. However, if you are traveling to another state for an extended period of time (more than six months) you may need to buy coverage there. If you do not own your own car, you will need to comply with the directions of the lien holder.

To get the best price, ask for quotes for both areas and ask if there is a residency rule- for instance if you are in a state for two years, will you be bound by the laws of that state or for your “home” state when it comes to insurance coverage.

When Military Personnel Leave Their Cars Behind

Not everyone in the military is buying insurance for themselves, at least, not right away. They may be insuring their car so that someone else can drive it or to protect it while it is being stored away. If you are leaving your car for someone else to drive:

• Make sure that your insurance is enough to cover any potential driver.
• Ask about the rates for yourself as well as the other driver. If you are ensuring a spouse, for instance, it might be cheaper to have the insurance rated for them rather than for yourself. (You may need to exclude yourself from coverage until you return home.)
• If the car is titled in your name, it is important that you make sure it is insured or you may find yourself stuck with the costs of an accident as well as legal fees in the event of an accident, even if the other driver “borrowed” your car while you were gone without your permission.

However, if you are going to lock your car up in storage:

• Ask for quotes for the lowest level of insurance.
• There may be a waiver to insurance expenses that allows you to stop insurance coverage while you are gone without showing a gap. That gap could cause you to lose your military discount when you come back.
• If you are using an approved storage facility in your state, your insurance costs may be discounted even lower. Not all insurance companies offer the storage discount. In addition, not all storage facilities are considered to be approved. It is important to discuss this with the insurance agent before making a final decision on the policy.

Possible Discounts for Car Insurance for Military Personnel

There are a number of discounts for active, retired and reserve military personnel. In some cases these discounts can also be valid for others, including companies that are affiliated with the military in some way. Some of the discounts that you might be able to get include:

• The military discount. This might be a flat amount, typically around 15 percent or so. Not all insurance companies offer this discount.
• Discounts for certain types of vehicles, including for certain safety equipment.
• Discounts for maintaining a good credit history.
• Discounts for a safe driving record.
• Discounts for returning customers
• Discounts for buying other types of coverage (personal liability or insurance for your family while you are gone, for instance).

The more discounts that you can get, the lower your insurance coverage will be.

Making Car Insurance for Military Personnel and Payments Simpler to Choose 

Thanks to the internet, military personnel can handle certain tasks from wherever they are, however there are always exceptions. For those who are deployed to dangerous or remote areas, internet access might be restricted or not even available. It is important to set up insurance to be as simple as possible- so that you can focus on staying safe in a dangerous situation without worrying about these tasks from home. Ways to accomplish this:

• Set up an online account through your insurance company so that you can check your policy, renew, update or change information.
• Set up email reminders of bills, etc. This can also help with cost because there is typically a discount for doing so.
• Set up automatic bill pay. You can do this through your base as well, allowing part of your military pay to be automatically sent to pay your insurance.
• Pay the full cost of the insurance up front. This should also give you a discount.

Special Considerations for Car Insurance for Military Personnel

In addition to the other types of discounts, there is also an emergency deployment discount. This discount is given to any military personnel being sent to a dangerous part of the world (as determined by the Department of Defense) and storing their car. The car will need to be stored in an approved facility- ask the insurance company for a full listing of these facilities. If there is none near to your area, it might be best to just maintain insurance at its current level. Do not allow insurance to lapse, however.