When you are seeking the best car insurance rate, the first thing you need to do is understand that this kind of comparison shopping is going to take time, but that time will be well spent in terms of the money you can save. The auto insurance companies take many factors into account to price your rate, and an understanding of those factors can help you determine where to get your best rate.

Believe it or not, your credit score plays a big part here. Insurance companies want to be confident that they will be paid when the premiums are due, and will be paid on time since the task of collections is not something they want to do. So they take bad credit very seriously and may not even write a policy for you if you have very bad credit. They are not obligated to do so. Before you start shopping, get copies of your credit reports and make sure that the information is accurate so that your credit score looks as good as possible.

Next the insurance company will run a driving history on you. Any moving violation in the past three years will increase your car insurance rate. In addition, having a clean driving history for anyone that will be driving the vehicle is very important and can save you lots of money.

The age of the drivers will also be an important factor for determining your insurance rate. Drivers that are under the age of 25 will always pay a higher premium. The same is also true for those drivers that reach the age of 70. This is because the most deadly accidents on our roads are caused by drivers in those two demographics.

One other factor that the insurance companies will use to calculate your car insurance rate is the gender of the drivers. Often times female drivers will get better rates because on the average they tend to be safer drivers than their male counterparts. This trend is starting to change however and it won't be long before the rates will be equal, no matter the gender of the driver.

Whether you are married or single will also play a role in determining your car insurance rate. Insurance companies have looked at the statistics and have found that married couples seem to be more responsible drivers. They generally have better credit, pay their bills on time, and have fewer accidents then their single counterparts.

There are some discounts that can also be used to obtain a lower car insurance rate. Insurance companies will sometimes give you a lower rate if you combine other insurances with your car insurance. For example, if you are a homeowner you may get a break on both your car insurance and your homeowners insurance if the same company writes both policies.

So when you are looking to find the best car insurance rate available make sure that you understand what factors you have in your favor and which ones may work against you. If the rate seems high, ask the person giving you the quote if there is anything you can do to lower the rate. Many insurance companies will give you up to a 10% discount if you take and pass a driver's improvement course.