# Things You Do That Increase Your Car Insurance Author: Pal Sinha, Barnali Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali Published: 2022-07-05 Category: INSURANCE Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/insurance Meta Title: How Vehicle Modifications Impact Car Insurance Premiums Meta Description: Learn how specific vehicle modifications like window tinting, upgraded sound systems, and lift kits can affect your car insurance rates. Understand the URL: https://financedigest.com/things-you-do-that-increase-your-car-insurancehtml ![undefined](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/istock-1337869134-1736815604921-compressed.jpg) You may not even realize that you may affect your car insurance premiums when you modify your vehicle. Do new paint, an upgraded sound system, and window tinting increase insurance premiums? [Is it normal for car insurance to increase each year?](https://www.autoinsurance.org/why-does-my-car-insurance-keep-going-up-every-year/) We’ll explain how specific modifications can make your insurance rates higher, but we’ll also cover how your driving habits affect your insurance even more. **Vehicle Modifications and Insurance** Most [insurance policies include a generic clause that covers](https://www.financedigest.com/japan-insurers-to-maintain-cover-for-lng-vessels-in-russian-waters.html "Japan insurers to maintain cover for LNG vessels in Russian waters") vehicle modification up to a limit of usually $500 or $1,000. So, minor modifications may not impact your [insurance premiums](https://www.financedigest.com/big-data-lowers-insurance-premiums-and-optimises-business-performance.html "Big Data Lowers Insurance Premiums and Optimises Business Performance"). Let’s look at some specific ways you can change your vehicle. **Window Tinting** Tinted windows shouldn’t increase your insurance rates because they don’t increase the financial [risk](https://www.financedigest.com/using-threat-intelligence-to-minimise-cyber-insurance-risks.html "Using Threat Intelligence to Minimise Cyber Insurance Risks") to your insurer. Their expense doesn’t exceed the threshold. If, however, your windows are tinted darker than is legal in your state, your [insurance company won’t cover](https://www.financedigest.com/app-based-insurance-cover-for-millennials-possessions-and-experiences-back-me-up-powered-by-ageas.html "APP-BASED INSURANCE COVER FOR MILLENNIALS’ POSSESSIONS AND EXPERIENCES: ‘BACK ME UP’, POWERED BY AGEAS") tinting them again if your windows are damaged. **Upgraded Stereo** If you invested in a system and want to make sure it’s covered in the event of theft or damage, you’ll [need to disclose that information to your insurer](https://www.financedigest.com/breaking-down-the-types-of-insurance-you-need.html "Breaking Down the Types of Insurance You Need"). If the stereo increases the value of your vehicle, you may pay more for it, but in most cases, it won’t make a difference. **New Paint** Your paint color doesn’t affect your [insurance rates](https://www.financedigest.com/how-insurtech-is-helping-to-lower-car-insurance-rates.html "How InsurTech is Helping to Lower Car Insurance Rates"). However, if you go with a premium, costly paint job, you [need to let your insurance company know](https://www.financedigest.com/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-mortgages.html "4 Things you Need to Know About Mortgages"). If the new paint increases their financial risk, you’ll have to pay higher [car insurance premiums if you have full coverage](https://www.financedigest.com/5-tips-for-selecting-the-best-car-insurance-coverage.html "5 Tips for Selecting the Best Car Insurance Coverage"). If your new paint is equivalent in value to what was on your vehicle already, it shouldn’t make a difference in your [car insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/ten-things-youre-doing-that-are-invalidating-your-car-insurance.html "TEN THINGS YOU’RE DOING THAT ARE INVALIDATING YOUR CAR INSURANCE") costs. **Lifted or Lowered Suspension** These two modifications impact your vehicle’s risk of being stolen and being in an accident, so if you have a lifted or lowered vehicle, your [insurance company](https://www.financedigest.com/incentive-fm-wins-contract-with-global-insurance-services-company.html "Incentive FM wins contract with global insurance services company") will almost always charge you higher premiums to reflect that increased risk. **Accessibility Modifications** Modifying your vehicle to make it accessible for disabilities can cost a lot of money. If you have a significant amount of money invested in these changes, you will [need to make sure the modifications are covered by insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/reasons-you-need-a-car-insurance-when-driving-in-thailand.html "Reasons You Need a Car Insurance When Driving in Thailand"). Your premiums will be higher to reflect the increased value of your vehicle. [**Driving Habits and Insurance**](https://www.financedigest.com/whats-driving-consumer-opinion-in-the-insurance-sector.html "What’s driving consumer opinion in the Insurance Sector?") While modifications may not even affect your insurance depending on how major or minor they are, your driving history will certainly affect your premiums. **Good Driving History** You’ll pay the lowest rates if you have no accidents or claims on your record. In addition to paying [rates that reflect your low risk](https://www.financedigest.com/russia-could-hike-rates-in-2023-if-inflation-risks-have-big-impact-cenbank.html "Russia could hike rates in 2023 if inflation risks have big impact -cenbank"), you can often get a discount to reward you for being a good driver. **Traffic Violations** Insurance companies base your premiums on your risk. So if statistics can link your driving history to an increased risk of you filing a future claim, they can charge you [higher rates](https://www.financedigest.com/credit-suisse-offers-higher-deposit-rates-in-asia-to-woo-the-wealthy-sources.html "Credit Suisse offers higher deposit rates in Asia to woo the wealthy – sources"). For example, if you have gotten a couple of speeding tickets, you probably tend to speed occasionally or frequently, which is linked to a higher risk of being involved in an accident. **DUI Conviction** A DUI conviction is one of the worst driving offenses. Not only does driving under the influence put your life and others’ lives at risk, but it also makes your [car insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/how-data-is-revolutionising-car-insurance.html "How data is revolutionising car insurance") quotes skyrocket. In addition, if you have more than one DUI conviction, you might not even be able to find an [insurance policy on the competitive market](https://www.financedigest.com/a-look-ahead-to-2023-in-the-insurance-market.html "A Look Ahead to 2023 in the Insurance Market"). **Not Paying Your Bills** We’re not just talking about falling behind on your [car insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/being-aware-of-the-insurance-blind-spot-when-it-comes-to-driverless-cars.html "Being aware of the insurance blind spot when it comes to driverless cars") bills. Not [paying insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/are-you-getting-what-you-are-paying-for-when-it-comes-to-cyber-liability-insurance.html "ARE YOU GETTING WHAT YOU ARE PAYING FOR WHEN IT COMES TO CYBER LIABILITY INSURANCE?") premiums will get your coverage canceled, but missing other payments affects your insurance premiums as well. Your [credit score](https://www.financedigest.com/1-in-5-uk-adults-have-no-idea-what-a-credit-score-is.html "1 in 5 UK adults have no idea what a credit score is") is a major factor in your insurance rates. A few states ban insurers from considering [credit scores](https://www.financedigest.com/benefits-of-a-good-credit-score.html "Benefits of a good credit score") when formulating premiums, but it’s common practice in most places. Of course, not everything money-related affects your [credit score](https://www.financedigest.com/12-things-that-dont-hurt-your-credit-score.html), but if you don’t pay your bills, your credit score will fall, and your insurance premiums will rise. **Accident History** If you have an accident on your record, it will probably affect your [car insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/10-things-you-could-be-doing-that-invalidate-your-car-insurance.html "10 things you could be doing that invalidate your car insurance") rates for three years. **Driving Habits** Your insurance company doesn’t really know how you drive every day unless you let them. If you agree to a telematics device as an app on your phone or plugged directly into your car, your insurance company can base your rates on measurements of your driving, like how hard your brake and how quickly you accelerate. With telematics, you might end up paying more or less, depending on how you drive. **[Save Money](https://www.financedigest.com/6-tips-to-save-money-on-your-next-used-car-purchase.html "6 Tips to Save Money on Your Next Used Car Purchase") on Insurance** If you have a combination of any of the factors that raise your insurance premiums, you can [expect to see even higher rates](https://www.financedigest.com/ecbs-makhlouf-expects-50-bps-rate-hike-in-december.html "ECB’s Makhlouf expects 50 bps rate hike in December"). Even if you have a clear driving history, though, you might be paying more than you need for [car insurance](https://www.financedigest.com/scratched-ev-battery-your-insurer-may-have-to-junk-the-whole-car.html "Scratched EV battery? Your insurer may have to junk the whole car"). Here are some of the easiest ways you can get lower insurance rates so you can work a little wiggle room into [your budget](https://www.financedigest.com/preparing-for-normal-advice-on-post-pandemic-budgeting.html): - **Compare quotes** – Some insurance companies are a better fit for your situation, and comparing quotes can show you how much you could save by switching providers. - **Look for discounts** – You could [save a lot of money](https://www.financedigest.com/how-to-save-money-for-a-car.html "How to save money for a car") by applying the eligible discounts to your policy. - **Take a class** – In some situations, taking a defensive driving class could help you reduce your premiums, especially if you’ve had an accident or traffic violation. You have a lot of control over your insurance rates because what you pay is based on your actions. Changing your [car may make a small impact on your premiums](https://www.financedigest.com/mercedes-posts-rise-in-q1-sales-boosted-by-evs-premium-cars.html "Mercedes posts rise in Q1 sales boosted by EVs, premium cars"), but your driving habit will have a significant effect. Being a good driver will help you get the best rates possible, so be careful every time you get behind the wheel, follow the laws, and watch out for people who don’t. ![Melanie Musson writes and researches](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/melanie-musson-1736815604903-compressed.jpg) **_About Author:_** Melanie Musson writes and researches for the auto insurance comparison site, [AutoInsurance.org.](https://www.autoinsurance.org/) She enjoys sharing her knowledge of insurance with others so they can save money and protect their finances. **Brought to you by Quote.com** --- This blog is powered by Superblog. Visit https://superblog.ai to know more. ---