So how much auto insurance do you need beyond your state’s minimum?

For starters, make sure you get enough insurance to protect your assets if you’re in an accident. If you’re covered for $50,000 bodily injury and are in an accident that causes more than $50,000 the injured party’s lawyers can come after your assets. You’d need to come up with a lot of money fast or lose what you’ve worked all your life to accumulate.

Another thing to consider is that, while most states require insurance there are some that don’t. And even in the states that do require auto insurance, some people just don’t carry auto insurance. Make sure you have enough auto insurance to protect yourself.

Also, if you have tended to get in accidents in the past (even if they weren’t your fault) you may want to consider beefing up your auto insurance policy a bit.

If you have a child of driving age you know what a huge difference their grades can make on the amount of money you spend in auto insurance. Good student discounts actually give you a lot of control over your auto insurance.

If you want to bring your auto insurance rates down, get involved in your child’s education. Talk to them about their studies. Make them show you their homework. Keep in touch with their teachers. Show your child that you think their education is important, find creative ways to help them succeed in school, and you get rewarded with lower rates. It’s simple.

You can also bring your auto insurance payment down by increasing the deductible. A higher deductible means lower monthly payments. It, of course, also means you’ll have to drive more carefully, but you want to do that anyway, right?

Also, if you pay annually or semi-annually you can save a bunch on your auto insurance. It’s difficult to set aside that much money, but if you’re disciplined enough to do it, you can save hundreds of dollars.

Carpooling and riding your bike can save money on auto insurance too. The principle is simple. If you drive less you have less chance of being in an accident.

Lastly (and most importantly) drive safely. Drivers who don’t have tickets and accidents on their record get lower rates.

Sports cars are, of course, expensive when it comes to auto insurance because they’re fast and have a reputation (and the statistics to back it) of getting in a lot of accidents.

Expensive cars like Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes, and BMW also have rather high price tags when it comes to auto insurance. Obviously, if a Jaguar is in an accident, it’s going to cost a whole lot to fix up. The same goes for Lexus, Mercedes and BMW.

However, would you believe that SUVs are expensive when it comes to auto insurance?

It’s true. One of the great things about SUVs is that they rarely get the worst of it when they’re in an accident. However, the damage they cause to other vehicles is catastrophic.

So, what kind of vehicle should you choose to avoid high rates of auto insurance?

Minivans and station wagons are a great choice. They aren’t built for speed (unless you’re a soccer mom who’s kid is late for practice), they aren’t terribly expensive to fix, and they aren’t big enough to cause the damage an SUV can cause.

Buick seems to have a great reputation for cars that don’t cost a lot for auto insurance. There are several Buick sedans that can help you keep auto insurance costs down.