How Can I Add a New Automobile to My Family Car Insurance Policy?

There are a million reasons why families have to buy a new (or used) car and add it to their insurance policy, and now more than ever there are multi-car households with up to three or four individual automobiles. Sometimes new vehicles arrive in a family due to the mechanical failure of a previous car, because of a car accident and at other times they are just needed because there is a new young driver in the house.

Families often have several cars. One car might be for your young teenage driver, but another may be just a fuel-efficient hybrid used just to commute, and the other might be one of those seven- or eight-passenger SUVs or minivans. Car are so engineered to fill a particular niche of people's lives nowadays, so that means a lot of families need more than one car to fit their ever expanding list of duties.

So once you are done with buying whichever new vehicle you have chosen, now comes the part where you add it to your existing car insurance policy. You will want to use the same insurance carrier for all of your vehicles, as most companies offer a multi-vehicle discount. If you have the time, it also never hurts to shop around to see which carriers will give you the biggest multi-vehicle family car insurance discount.

Also, be aware that some vehicles are more expensive to insure than others based on their safety ratings, theft rates and claim history with your particular insurer. So before you buy a car, check with your insurance company to see if there will be a big premium price hike after you buy the car. That's a surprise you just don't need.

It is usually best to speak to your personal insurance agent on the phone, and there is some information you will need to have handy when you are ready to add your car to your family insurance policy. First off you will need the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) that is located at the base of the windshield on the driver's side, on the inside door panel edge and will be listed numerous times on your purchasing and licensing paperwork.

Then you will need the vehicle make, model, color, mileage, body style and all of the information about the lien holder if you are not the one who technically owns the car. That means the company with whom you are leasing or financing the car. With the right materials, adding a new car to your family car insurance policy is very easily done.