6 ms·

Last time I got car insurance (a year ago?) I believe they still asked if it had an alarm, implying they still give a discount for it. Do insurance companies th

• Topgamer7 6y ago
  Insurance companies are in theory statistics companies. They collect data on data points to infer where cost savings can be. Although in practice they are money making companies, and likely use statistics to find ways to upsell you. So once upon a time car alarms were rarer, and they could charge more if you didn't have one.
• rconti 6y ago
  I get like a 92 cent discount for having "passive restraints" (airbags), so... if you get a discount for an alarm, it's gotta be tiny.
• ska 6y ago
  Here they ask if you have alarm or immobilizer. They offer a discount because they work, statistically. Over time fewer cars have audible alarms, but most have at least basic immobilizers these days. I think all the north american vehicles after late 90s early 00s have at least a basic immobilizer.
• tehwebguy 6y ago
  Mine still asks about "daytime running lights"
• nucleardog 6y ago
  Besides what other people have said, consider also that just because they’re asking about having an alarm doesn’t mean they actually care about whether there’s an alarm directly. It just means there’s some statistical correlation between alarm presence and risk. It could be a case of “people who add aftermarket alarms are more likely to be conscientious about not leaving their vehicle where it’s likely to be broken into in the first place” or “people who go through the expense of adding aftermarket alarms tend to do so because if multiple prior break-ins, and may be doing something (e.g., leaving things in the car) that increase the risk”.