How many times do you use your car in a month? Twice? Thrice? Maybe, it is as high as 5 times a month. If so, you don’t need traditional car insurance. What you need is a pleasure driving insurance.
Wondering what this means and why you should get it instead of the regular car insurance? In this article, we discuss what is pleasure car insurance and the number of miles covered.
What is Considered Pleasure Insurance?
This is a type of auto insurance that covers drivers who use their vehicles for “pleasure activities.” We know by now; that you must be wondering what insurance companies mean by pleasure activities.
Simply put, it means that the drivers do not use the cars for everyday use. Rather, they use the vehicle once in a while or occasionally. You can see this as using your vehicle for some weekend getaway, going on a picnic, or driving your family to Church.
Why Pleasure Driving Insurance is Better than Commuter Insurance
The duo of pleasure driving insurance and commuter insurance exists in different worlds. On the one hand, the former covers drivers who don’t use their cars often. On the other hand, the latter covers everyday drivers.
Thus, the primary difference between the two is that one doesn’t charge higher premiums while the other does.
If you are looking to save costs for using your car once in a while, purchasing the pleasure driving insurance policy is the way to go.
How Many Miles is Considered Pleasure Driving?
The success of pleasure driving insurance is based on the miles covered. Since the vehicle isn’t used often, the insurance company turns to the miles for the analysis. In this case, the company is interested in knowing the distance covered to use that in judging how much you will pay as a premium.
According to Car and Driver, the average mile to cover with the insurance is 7,500 miles per year. If you exceed this, you may pay higher.
This calculation is based on the average mile coverage of 13,000 miles per year. By covering 7,500 miles,your vehicle covers only 50% of the original coverage. Thus, it qualifies for the pleasure driving insurance policy.
How to Save Costs with Pleasure Driving Insurance
Your vehicle can get up to 50% discount with pleasure driving insurance. Here are some tips on how to achieve that:
1. Stick to the Milage Benchmark
13,000 miles is the national benchmark of most vehicles. To qualify for pleasure driving insurance, you need to maintain half of that benchmark. That means driving just 6,500 miles per year.
Depending on the auto insurance company, you may be allowed to go as high as 7,500. However, your vehicle will likely attract a higher premium if its mileage exceeds 7,500.
You can break this down to mean 600 miles coverable per month.
2. Don’t Drive Far
The distance covered correlates with the milage. If you travel a far distance, your mileage will increase. If you travel a shorter distance, your mileage will drop.
What do you do then? Only drive your car to places where you don’t need to step hard on the throttle.
Examples of places to go with your vehicle to save money on premiums are:
- The Church
- Picking and dropping your kids at school.
- Dashing out to buy groceries from the store.
- Going for a picnic.
- Taking an evening ride.
3. Make a Single Trip
It can be tricky not to make a single trip but it is doable. The best strategy is to plan your routes. What are you going out for? Want to buy groceries? Pick the kids from school? Perhaps, you want to drop by and see an old friend.
Whatever it is, try to plan your route and see how possible it would be to do all that at once. By avoiding multiple trips, you will potentially reduce the number of miles covered by the vehicle.
4. Reduce Your Car Dependency
Can we ever do without a car? Some drivers can, especially when they know how much is pleasure insurance when they default.
You may not need your vehicle in all situations. Consider taking alternative means of transportation if your mileage is already high for the month.
Take public transportation if you want to visit multiple places. If possible, get a bicycle and cycle to where you want to go to.
5. Join Others for a Ride
Carpooling is an excellent way to save costs on pleasure driving insurance. It involves hitching a ride with others. It could be your colleagues in the office, your neighbors, or a friend.
Take a ride sometimes and allow your vehicle to rest and its mileage too!
How Much is Pleasure Insurance?
The cost of purchasing pleasure driving insurance varies on several factors. For example, the use of the vehicle can impact its costs, likewise the milage.
If you use the car for limited business functions, you can expect to pay up to $1,500 per year. However, the premiums can be anywhere between $1,200 and $1,350 if you use the vehicle for farm use.
Contact your auto insurance company or speak with an agent to get an idea of how much it costs.
How to Find Cheap Pleasure Driving Insurance for Your Vehicle
Despite the low premium, extra efforts can be made to find cheaper pleasure driving insurance. We recommend the following tips:
1. Use an Auto Comparison Site
Check online for car insurance rate comparison sites. Enter the type of vehicle you have, what you intend to use it for, and your location.
You should get an overview of how much it may cost to purchase pleasure driving insurance for the car.
Compare the options across multiple auto insurance sites to get an idea of the average premium payable for the coverage.
2. Check the Company’s Reputation
The reputation of the auto insurance company is as important as the value of the policies offered. How many pleasure driving insurance claims have been successfully made? How long has the company been in business and what is its customer satisfaction rate?
3. Is Extra Protection Available?
Does the pleasure driving insurance company offer extra coverage? If so, can those be added as add-ons?
Final Words
Purchasing the pleasure driving insurance is a remarkable way to pay for the mileage covered by your car. However, getting commuter insurance may be ideal if you intend to cover more miles and use your vehicle often.
