It is always exciting to get your driver’s license and have the freedom to drive to work or school, it saves lots of time and helps people do two jobs in this tough economy. It is considerably a necessity to have a driving license in Edmonton as we do not have excellent public transport and weather gets freezing cold in winter. It is not fun waiting for a bus in cold weather or if you miss a bus while getting to work. The 2nd most excitement part is buying a car after passing driving license, some people prefer buying new car and some will go with used vehicle. It all depends on person-to-person budget, but it is always a good idea to start with a reliable used car option. The next steps come in registering your car at the registry, but to register your car you need car insurance. When new drivers call the insurance companies, they realize the insurance cost is way more than they expected. Auto insurance is one of the biggest reoccurring cost after buying a car. There are several factors which affects your auto insurances, we will mention few major on which can easily save you some money.
Drivers Education Course Discount:
You can get instant insurance discount if you take driver’s education course from Licensed Driving School in Alberta. The driver training course minimum requirement is 10 hours of road training and 15 hours of classroom training from a licensed driver training school in Edmonton/Alberta. Once you successfully complete the course, the driving school will issue you the course completion certificate after meeting the requirements. Your insurance company will give your 10% to 20% insurance discount depending on your age and driving experience once you provide them course completion certificate.
Choosing Right Vehicle
It is always a good idea for the new drivers to buy a good condition used vehicle. Auto insurance for new vehicle is more compared to used car. Your insurance will be lower on used car compared to brand-new car. If you decide to go ahead with a used vehicle, it is always a good idea to have car mechanical inspection done by certified mechanics which may cost up to $150 but will give you peace of mind that you did your due diligence. You also want to make sure that the car does not have any lien on the record, you can visit any Alberta registry to check if there is a lien on the vehicle.
Insurance Bundle Discount
It is always good idea to buy your auto and home insurance from the same company. The company will give you 10% to 25% discount on bundling auto & home/tenant insurance together.
Professional Designation/Student Discount
Some insurance company will provide you discount if you are member of professional association e.g APEGA, ASET or If you are student at UofA or NAIT. Please make sure when you talk to your insurance company, ask for professional association/designation discount if they offer.
Winter Tires/Anti Theft Device Discount
You can get up to 5% discount if you have Winter Tires installed and have Anti-theft device in your car. It is always a good idea to mention if to your insurance company while getting quote from them so that they can apply these discounts to your insurance policy.