Tips for Insuring a New Pick-Up Truck

Insurance costs for pick-up trucks generally tend to be higher than those for cars, because trucks are more likely to cause extensive damage to other vehicles and property if they are involved in an accident. For example, a truck will cause significantly more damage to a sedan than vice versa when the two vehicles collide. It is also true that the occupants of the sedan are in greater danger of being hurt, or even killed, should such a collision occur. Pick-up trucks are also frequently subjected to burglary and/or theft, because thieves often find useful tools inside the truck or can resell the truck for significantly more money than a car.

Because of these risks, many insurance companies will charge a higher premium for pick-up truck insurance. However, there are several ways in which pick-up truck insurance costs can be kept low:

Research pick-up truck insurance rates. Some pick-up trucks have higher insurance rates than others depending on what statistics are available regarding their accident history, rate of theft, etc. Be sure to get the actual insurance quote from your insurance agent rather than an online site or service, because there could be additional fees you are not aware of.

Obtain a higher deductible. If you have had to file few, if any, deductible claims in the past 10 years of car and truck ownership, it may be in your best financial interest to obtain a higher deductible on your new pick-up truck. However, this tactic is not recommended if you have never owned a pick-up truck before or if you are under the age of 25, since you may become stuck with several high deductible claims in a very short period of time.

Lower your coverage on low-use pick-up trucks. If you use your pick-up truck for short distance driving or just hauling heavy items out to the dump, you may wish to lower your insurance coverage. Consider taking collision coverage only, as opposed to comprehensive, or lowering the coverage amounts overall.

Bundle your insurance premiums. If you own a home or other property, you will probably be able to bundle your various insurance premiums together in order to save money. Some insurance companies place all your insurance premiums under what they call an "umbrella" policy. Whatever the case, using one insurance company to insure all your property usually results in a good deal on your premium.

Install additional safety and security features. Installing safety features like airbags and passive occupant restraints on your new pick-up truck can help lower its insurance premium. Likewise, various anti-theft devices like kill switch, anti-entry, alarm and tracking devices can also help lower the cost of your insurance premium.