The renewal went up and nothing changed

Why it rises anyway

• Repair and medical costs rose, so the same accident costs the insurer more than it did last year
• The insurer re-rated a whole class of policies on its claims experience — everyone in that class moves, not just you
• You are a year older, or your vehicle is
• An introductory or first-year discount ended
• Something in your record aged in or out
• Your area's claims experience changed

Ask them to explain it

Insurers should be able to say why. Sometimes the answer reveals an error — a violation that should have aged off, a vehicle you no longer own, a mileage figure from a commute that ended, an address that is out of date.

That call is short and it occasionally just fixes the problem.

Adjust before you switch

The instinct is to move insurers. Before that, the settings on your existing policy are worth a look, because changing them keeps your continuous coverage history intact.

• Raise the deductible — but only to an amount you could genuinely pay tomorrow
• Reconsider collision and comprehensive on the oldest vehicle
• Ask for a full discount review; eligibility changes with marriage, moving, jobs, retirement and a child's grades
• Correct the mileage if you now drive less, especially since remote work
• Ask about usage-based programmes if you are a low-mileage driver

Then shop, properly

Insurers weight the same driver very differently, and that spread is frequently larger than any single discount you could chase. Which company you are with is often the biggest factor in what you pay.

Quote at identical limits, identical deductibles and identical optional coverages, using your declarations page as the specification. A cheaper quote with lower liability limits is a different product, not a better price.

The one thing not to do

Do not let coverage lapse while you shop. Continuous coverage is its own rating factor, so even a short gap raises what you pay afterwards — often for longer than the gap lasted — and in many states it has registration and licence consequences too.

If you switch, get the new policy in force first, then cancel the old one effective the same day. Overlapping by a day is trivially cheap. A gap is not.