WASHINGTON — You鈥檝e seen and heard the ads, like this one from : 鈥淔ifteen minutes can save you 15 percent or more on car insurance.鈥�
Car insurance companies make a lot of these claims, but can you really believe them?
Janet Bodnar, editor of magazine, fact-checked different insurance agencies to examine their validity. Geico, she said, is pretty legit with what they say.
鈥淵ou can do this, but you need to meet certain criteria,鈥� Bodnar said on 草莓传媒.
Those who meet Geico鈥檚 criteria qualify for lower insurance premiums.
鈥淚f you put in a little more time, maybe even carving out an hour or so to contact several companies, you might be able to save even more. It鈥檚 worth putting in a little more time.鈥�
As for — you know, the commercials with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — their 鈥淒iscount Double Check鈥� claim is also accurate. If you meet certain criteria, of course: you鈥檝e been accident free for the past three years, have more than one car and you鈥檙e a new customer.
鈥淵ou can often qualify for discounts even if you don鈥檛 meet that criteria,鈥� Bodnar said.
State Farm and other insurance companies offer discounts to married couples, young motorists who鈥檝e completed a drivers education course and older drivers who鈥檝e completed defensive driving classes.
ads — often featuring saleswoman “Flo” — are accurate as well. There, though, drivers can get discounts if they agree to sign for tracking systems that monitor their habits: whether or not they speed, or drive short distances.
鈥淵ou can save a lot depending on how safe your habits are,鈥� Bodnar said.
comes with a few more caveats. Its ads promise that if you total your vehicle, they鈥檒l reimburse you for the cost of a newer vehicle. It costs $75 to $80 per year on top of your rate to have this service.
鈥淪o it does pay to check the value of your car,鈥� Bodnar said.
She said check the value of your car in , and compare average prices to see if Liberty鈥檚 program is worth it.
鈥檚 Accident Forgiveness program is valid, but like Liberty鈥檚 program, it鈥檒l cost an extra 10 to 19 percent, depending on the number of accidents you have.
