What are Some Modifications That Can Increase your Car Insurance Premiums

You have finally bought your dream car and sorted out the initial taxation and insurance. Once you have driven the car for a few months, the car needs a few upgrades. From improving the look to the performance, there’s much to be done.

But did you know that there are certain modifications that you can make to the car that can increase your car’s insurance premiums? You might have settled with the average insurance cost for Toyota 4Runners, but sometimes, the insurance premiums can increase drastically.

This comprehensive guide will highlight some common modifications that can increase your car insurance premiums without you knowing.

1. Making improvements to the Overall Performance

Who doesn’t want their cars to be running efficiently, right? Everyone wants their car’s performance to be top-notch and their driving experience to be the rest.

If you are considering or have already installed turbochargers and superchargers in your car, that will reflect in your insurance premiums. Not just that, significantly changing the engine or the torque increases your car insurance premiums.

2. Installing Body Kits

Switching up the look and feel of your car’s exterior with frame kits, spoilers, and other elements is excellent. However, be ready to experience a surge in your car insurance premiums. This isn’t standard across every car insurance company, but still an element that you need to keep in mind.

Some of these exterior changes can change the car’s aerodynamics, which adds to the insurance premium you will likely be paying. Also, if one gets into an accident, modified exteriors or a car are expensive to repair, so insurers charge more.

3. Indulging in Custom Paint Jobs

So, when you bought the car, it was black. But, over time, you seem to have grown out of the plain old black and want something more exciting. That’s where paint jobs come into the picture.

While custom paint jobs make the car look pristine and perfect, they also come with risks of theft. When the car looks so posh and expensive, insurers feel they are at heightened risk of vandalism and theft, leading to an increased insurance premium.

4. Installing High-End Audio System

While we are on the topic of robbery and vandalism, installing a high-end audio system in the car is another factor that can increase insurance premiums. The car insurance companies consider “high-end equipment” in the car as a threat, thereby increasing the premium.

Again, it isn’t a standard across all the insurers, but that’s the case for the maximum of them. We’d recommend you assess your options first.

5. Making Lighting Modifications

There is a trend of installing custom LED lights inside the car and xenon headlights. Undoubtedly, they beautify the car, but specific light settings are considered hazardous. They elevate the risk of accidents and are also regarded as illegal in some places.

Since these kinds of light settings in the car elevate the risks of injuries and a potential claim, it reflects on your car insurance premium.

Conclusion

Making modifications is excellent, but if you don’t want to increase your car insurance premiums unnecessarily, we’d recommend you tread cautiously. Car insurance companies are constantly changing their terms and conditions, so it’s ideal that you stay up-to-date and only include modifications that won’t directly affect the car’s insurance.