Car Insurance for Married Couples It’s not pretty like a wedding gown, or as exciting as a Hawaiian honeymoon.But it can be essential to your marriage financially: car insurance for married couples.Points to Ponder Consider these topics when you are going to buy car insurance for married couples: Joint policy vs.

separate policies Premium rates Monthly, six-month and annual payments Discounts What About Domestic Partner and Civil Unions? Although same-sex marriage has been legal in the U.S.since 2015, several states offer married rates to domestic partners and LGBTQ+ civil unions.These states include California, Colorado, Washington, DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

Payment Schedules You can choose to pay month-to-month for a policy or pay up front in exchange for a discount.Six-month policies are a popular choice.Joint vs.

Individual Policies When you marry, you and your spouse can share a single policy or buy separate policies.You will want to decide which policy will provide the most savings, what benefits you need, and which insurer has the customer service and reputation you want.You’ll also want to keep in mind the details of your particular circumstances.

Joint Policies Typically, a joint policy owned by both spouses is the best approach to auto insurance.Plus, policies owned by married couples cost less than those owned by individuals.Why? Because insurance research has shown that drivers who are married tend to be safer behind the wheel.

Common benefits of combining insurance with your spouse include: Sharing a policy can save you money.If one of you has a less-than-stellar driving history, the spouse’s clean driving record could balance the situation with a more competitive rate.Both spouses are covered and can share cars.

It is convenient to pay one auto insurance premium.Many insurers offer discounts for multiple cars on the same policy.Separate Policies Some couples opt to keep their car insurance policies separate.

Combining your policies doesn’t always make good sense, though.This is especially true when: One of you has a bad driving record.When combining insurance, the poor driving history of one can lower the premium of him or her while raising the other’s.

Say your spouse has a DUI on the books, their coverage will be especially expensive.One has a poor credit score.If your spouse has a bad credit rating, be sure your name is the only one on your policy so only your credit score is used to determine premium costs.

Average Premium Based on Credit Score Credit Score Average Annual Premium Poor $2,411 Below Fair $1,934 Fair $1,571 Good $1,323 Excellent $1,130 One owns a very expensive car.This in itself is not a bad thing, but that Bugatti or Ferrari comes with higher premiums than a Nissan.The person driving the Nissan could save money on its own policy.

Average Premium: Married vs.Single A married couple will, on average, pay $186 per month in premiums for a joint policy, or about $89 less than the average premiums for individual policies.Average Premium for One Based on Marital Status Marital Status Average Annual Premium Single $1,470 Married $1,381 Divorced $1,467 Widowed $1,431 Why Premiums Cost Less if You Are Married According to a by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), two-thirds of major insurance companies in ten large cities raise rates by an average of 20 percent when the spouse passes away.

Another report concludes that when singles get married their car insurance premiums drop by roughly 6 percent.Rates are typically also higher for single, separated or divorced customers.Based on studies and observations, insurance companies often work on the assumption that married individuals drive more carefully than single drivers.

Another reason insurance companies want to attract married drivers is that they are more likely to own a home, which means an opportunity for policyholders to bundle their car insurance with homeowners insurance and other coverages.Discounts that Might Be Available States differ in required discounts and insurers vary in what discounts they offer.Discounts are typically small but taken together they can help whittle down premiums.

Discounts can include: Good driver discount Multi-vehicle discount Multi-policy discount (homeowner’s, renters, motorcycle, life insurance) Telematics programs Paid in full discount Homeowner discount eSignature discount Paperless billing discount Anti-theft device discount Professional organization discount Low mileage discount Good student discount (16 through age 25) How to Get the Best Rate Now it is time to decide which company and policies you want.Even if you are happy with your current provider get quotes from at least three companies.We recommend you compare quotes from insurance providers at least once a year.

Comparison tools, like our interactive EINSURANCE , take the information you enter and gets quotes for you.How to Compare Quotes the Simple Way Before you obtain quotes, gather some pertinent information about everyone who will be on the policy.1.

Note personal overviews including: Address and other contact information Date of birth Driver license number Occupation Marital Status 2.Get information together about your vehicle.Purchase date Mileage Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Make and model Age of the vehicle 3.

Note current insurer for each person to be included on your policy.The goal is to show that everyone on your policy is or has been insured.4. Get the driving record about everyone you want to be on your policy, including yourself.

This includes claims, tickets, violations and any completed driving courses for the past five years.Time to Get Your Quotes Once you have gathered all the information you’ll need, use our .Lowest cost isn’t the best coverage for you.

You’ll need to provide the same information to each insurance company you want a quote from such as: Where you live Desired coverage levels Levels of liability Claims history Annual mileage Deductibles Coverages Keep in mind that some states require additional coverage so minimum coverage will be added.To learn more about your state’s requirements, use this Note that some states require additional coverage, minimum extra coverage will be added.Check out your state’s requirements, use this interactive map.

Looking for Insurance? While you’re here, EINSURANCE can help you find the right insurer, quickly and easily.Use this and compare.