Average Car Insurance Cost for Married Couples

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Your can become eligible for some serious money-saving discounts when you combine car insurance policies with your spouse (or, in some cases, your domestic partner), but not every couple financially benefits from shared auto coverage.

How Does Marriage Affect Car Insurance?
When to Keep Separate Car Insurance Policies
When to Combine Car Insurance Policies
Auto Insurance Discounts for Married Couples
Average Car Insurance Cost for Married Couples

How Does Marriage Affect Car Insurance?

Marriage doesn’t have to affect car insurance at all; however, there are a couple of things that can happen if you decide to combine auto insurance policies with your spouse:

You’ll save money through discounts for having a multi-car policy, changing your status from “single” to “married,” and switching to a company with lower rates, and more.
One of you will financially suffer because the other has a less-than-desirable credit history or driving record.

So instead, let’s take a look at how those two situations affect car insurance.

When to Keep Separate Car Insurance Policies

First, understand that combining auto insurance policies doesn’t always save you money, and it could actually end up financially penalizing one of you.

Consider keeping your insurance policies separate if one of you currently has a bad driving record, poor driving record, or sporty, expensive vehicle.

Bad Driving Record: Your driving record documents the good, the bad, and the ugly — and the bad and ugly will affect your car insurance rates. Expect a higher premium if you or your spouse has a sketchy driving record, and in the meantime you can work on ways to clear your record and get a better rate.
Poor Credit History: Just like a bad driving record, a poor credit history can cause you to have higher premiums. There are several ways to improve your credit score including paying your bills on time going forward, paying down your current debt, and keeping a low balance on your credit cards. However, if your credit is especially heinous, it would benefit you to meet with a credit counselor or other financial advisor. Having bad credit score might put you in the high-risk driver category. You might want to check out best car insurance for high-risk drivers.
Expensive Vehicle: Sporty, expensive vehicles cost more to insure than dependable, affordable sedans. If you drive a seven-year-old Ford Focus and your spouse drives a brand new BMW M8 Coupe, you probably don’t want to combine policies and look for the best car insurance for sport cars.

When to Combine Car Insurance Policies

Consider combining car insurance policies if both you and your spouse have good driving records and credit histories, and neither of you drives a super expensive vehicle.

We recommend talking with an agent from your insurance company about all the money-saving discounts your provider offers for combined policies (such as those outlined below).

Don’t have the same insurance provider? Don’t worry. You can talk to an agent from both insurance companies, get quotes for a combined policy, and choose the most affordable one.

Auto Insurance Discounts for Married Couples

First, talk to your insurance agent about changing your status from “single” to “married” on your policy. This alone could save you around $75 or so a year because, even if you don’t combine policies, an insurance company still views married people as safer, more stable drivers than single people.

Next, look into all auto insurance discounts that relate to you, your spouse, and couples in general. For example, when you put two vehicles on one policy you likely become eligible for a multi-car discount. Additionally, if you and your spouse own a home, having your homeowners insurance with the same company as your auto insurance could make you eligible for a multi-policy discount.

The two of you could be eligible for many other kinds of car insurance discounts including a good driver discount, paid-in-full discount, and more. Refer to Popular Car Insurance Discounts for details.