When you think about what makes your car insurance go up, you usually think about driving habits like getting speeding tickets or getting into accidents. Those are of course important factors, but car insurance companies also consider things that seemingly have nothing to do with your driving. Here's what they are and why.

Credit Score

When you request a car insurance quote, the insurer will check your credit. This is more than just to see if you will pay your bills on time.

The insurance company is trying to figure out how likely you are to make a claim. They've found that on average, people with lower credit scores are more likely to file claims.

The reason is that people with lower scores usually have less cash in the bank to pay for minor damage out of pocket rather than making an insurance claim.

Paying in Full

You may also see a huge discount if you pay your six month premium all at once instead of requesting monthly billing. Part of the reasoning is the same as with credit scores — if you can pay in full, you probably have cash to cover minor damage and not file a claim.

The other part is just like any other business, it costs car insurance companies money to bill you. They need to send bills and have someone processing payments. They also risk not being paid and having to spend more money sending you to collections.

Grades

For students, the difference between an A and a B could be a big insurance discount. Insurance companies view better students as more responsible people.

In general, more responsible people are less likely to drive recklessly or engage in other behaviors that could lead to a car accident.

Your Job

Car insurance companies aren't just asking for your job to make polite conversation. Over the years, they've found that people in certain professions are more or less likely to get into accidents.

This could be because certain jobs attract people who like to take risks while driving, or it could be because sensitive positions require their employees to stay out of any kind of trouble. The good news is that your job is only one single factor, so even if you're in a job insurers consider high-risk, you could still earn other discounts to offset the premium increase.

To learn more about the car insurance discounts that might be available to you, talk to a local car insurance broker like Kuresman Insurance.