A car insurance deductible is how much money you will need to pay prior to your insurance company issuing payments for repairs. The amount of your deductible will be determined by you when you obtain a policy. Deductibles usually vary in range between $100 and $500. A higher deductible will make your monthly premiums more affordable, but it could be more difficult to come up with this lump sum in the event of an accident. When looking into insurance in Dallas, you’ll want to learn a bit about deductibles so that you can make the best choice of amount for your particular needs.
Pros
Having a deductible allows you to lower the cost of your monthly insurance payments. Choosing a higher deductible will net you lower payments each month. In a way, going with the higher deductible is like betting on the fact that you won’t have an accident. Of course, accidents do happen. However, for most people, they are a rare occurrence. Keep your financial situation in mind when selecting a deductible amount. If producing a large sum of money all at once would be difficult for you, it may make more sense to pay a bit more each month. However, if you can sock away an emergency stash or easily come up with $500 or more, go with a higher deductible to save costs over the span of a year.
Cons
A disadvantage of having a deductible is that it is possible for your costs related to an accident to be less than the cost of the deductible. In this type of incident, you actually receive no financial benefit in having the policy, as your insurance has paid nothing toward your repair costs. Another negative issue related to insurance deductibles is the lump sum cost of paying them prior to having remaining expenses covered by your insurance company. It can be a financial hardship to come up with such a large sum all at once.
The fact is that most states require some form of auto insurance, so auto deductibles are usually unavoidable. A professional insurance agent can help you to determine the right deductible amount for your lifestyle and needs.
One thing I’ve found is that increasing the deductible doesn’t give you the huge premium discount that is frequently advertised. When I asked about increasing the deductible on ours from $500 to $1000, the premium reduction was only a few dollars a month.