If you're like so many of us, you just accept your auto insurance premium as a given. You probably even accept the fact that it increases each time the policy renews. Besides

paying for auto insurance, most of you probably also need to buy other types of coverage for your home, other vehicles, and maybe even a business. You may pay insurance companies a lot every month, but you also have quite a bit of bargaining power and should not hesitate to shop around for car insurance every year or so.

Why Shop Around for Car Insurance Every Year

You may not realize it, but it's likely that your insurance needs have changed over the past year. Even if everything has stayed exactly the same, the insurance market is incredibly dynamic. This means that you probably should update your insurance or at least, search for better value.

Auto Insurance Discounts Your Agent Might Not Have Mentioned

Insurance buyers often look around for available car insurance discounts that may help them save money for things that they are already doing. Insurers offer some of the same discounts, but there are also some different discounts they offer from time to time as they try to gain a competitive advantage over their many rivals. If you haven't taken the time to compare car insurance recently, your agent probably did not inform you about everything you could be entitled to or new discounts that have been introduced since you last reviewed your policy. These are some examples of discounts that you might not get from your current car insurance company:

Multi-policy. If you need both homeowners, condo, or renters insurance and auto insurance, you should know that many companies will offer you savings for bundling everything with them. You may also get a discount for other kinds of insurance, as long as your household buys multiple policies or has multiple people insured on the same policy.

Safety. Insurers offer a variety of discounts for cars with new safety features or installed safety systems. Since some of these systems come with the car, you might not even be aware of what you have. If you ask, the insurer or agent can look up your make and model of vehicle and tell you what you have.

Safe drivers. If you've avoided accidents and tickets or even taken a defensive driving course to help avoid future problems, you probably have also earned a discount from insurers, but the kinds of savings you can enjoy vary by the company. Young drivers with good grades and who have taken driving classes may also get a discount, and everybody can use a break from the high price of insuring younger drivers.

Energy efficient vehicles. A few insurers have begun to offer savings for customers who buy more eco-friendly cars. It's not that these cars are necessarily safer to drive. However, insurance companies have found that the kinds of people who invest in energy efficiency tend to be more responsible in other ways.

How to Shop for Car Insurance

Some folks put off shopping for new auto policies because they imagine it will take a lot of time or be difficult to understand their quotes. If you know what you want, you can find online quotes that can give you premium offers within seconds. Otherwise, you might simply call an independent insurance agent who can learn more about your unique situation and budget, suggest the right coverage, and then shop for you to find affordable premiums from a quality insurance company.