Many aspects of your vehicle and driving behavior influence how much your car insurance will cost. While getting a quote is the best way to get an estimate of your costs, many factors influence whether that number is fair. Here are six driving-related tips to use when determining whether your insurance will be higher or lower compared to the national average.

Tip #1: Look at Where Your Car is Driven

Some areas can be more hazardous to cars than others, with drivers in large cities often dealing with more accidents, thefts, and vandalism. Car insurance rates also vary from state to state, with different parts of the country paying much higher premiums. Drivers in Florida pay the most for their car insurance on average, while drivers in Wyoming pay the least (46% less than the national average.) Finding how much more drivers in your state pay is an excellent way to ballpark where your premiums will be.

Tip #2: Factor in Your Age, Sex, and Marital Status

The demographics you fit within can also significantly affect your car insurance price, specifically your age, sex, and marital status. Young drivers tend to pay higher rates, while women and married drivers often pay lower rates. Other bits of information can also change your policy cost, including your occupation and whether or not you own a home. Make sure to consider all this information when you get quotes for your insurance policy.

Tip #3: Identify What Type of Car You Drive

Your make, model, and even manufacturing year can all influence how much your policy will cost you; this is especially true if you have an expensive or exotic car. Vehicles that are commonly stolen or have flaws that make them easier to steal may also jack up your rates. An example of this would be the issues that Kia and Hyundai dealt with concerning their key-based ignition systems; a viral trend revealed that newer model years lacked engine immobilizers, making them much easier to steal.

Tip #4: Estimate How Often You Drive

The more miles you drive, the more likely you are to get in an accident, so yearly mileage is a stat that many insurance companies consider. This works both ways; if you drive less than a certain number of miles each year (on average, 12,000), you may qualify for reduced rates. If your job involves long commutes or you frequently drive for any reason, you will usually make higher monthly payments. Depending on your insurance provider, you may also have the option to choose pay-per-mile car insurance. This means you'd pay a lower than average monthly price but additional charges for the number of miles you drive.

Tip #5: Find Out Your Credit History

In most states, your credit score will also affect the price of your insurance premiums. High credit scores can help lower your monthly payments, while low scores can make your yearly insurance cost much higher. This practice isn't legal in every state, with Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, and Michigan restricting companies from using credit scores to change insurance rates.

Tip #6: Get a Vehicle History Report

Two of the most critical factors in deciding your insurance payments are your vehicle and driving history. If you have a history of safe driving, no accidents, and no record of moving violations, you will have much lower monthly payments. On the other hand, if you've been convicted of a crime like speeding, reckless driving, or DUI, your payments will almost always be far higher.

Your vehicle history makes a significant impact as well. If your car has ever been totaled or salvaged, companies will see it as a much riskier vehicle to insure. Knowing your vehicle's complete history may be difficult without a vehicle history report. These reports can show you all the available information about your car's accidents, repairs, recalls, and past owners.

How much your car insurance costs a month will depend on a combination of the above factors. The national average car insurance cost per year was $1630 in 2022. This means the average cost of car insurance per month is around $136. These averages are based on having a full coverage plan, which includes standard liability insurance plus comprehensive and collision insurance. Accidents and subsequent claims can increase this number, while safe driving and a clean history can lower these payments

You'll want to decide how much coverage you need (liability, comprehensive, etc.) and then get quotes from different car insurance companies to see how much you will pay. This will largely be determined by the information you found from following the tips listed above and the data you found from your vehicle history report.