You may have heard that car insurance companies cancel people's insurance if they have had a claim. Typically that's not true, however if you do have a claim that the insurance company believes is your fault you may pay a higher premium. Here's what you can do.

Car insurance companies basically base the rate they charge you on their risk assessment of how likely you are to cause a loss. In other words, if are getting auto insurance quotes and you have a history of speeding tickets, or have filed claims with other insurance companies recently for accidents you caused, you'll probably pay more than if you had a clean driving and claim record.

With that being said, if you file a claim with your current insurer they'll analyze the type of claim and who was at-fault to decide if you have now become a greater risk. If they think you have, then you may end up with a higher premium. Depending on the company, and the number and types of claims you file, they may not renew your policy at renewal time.

If your car insurance rate is raised because of a claim you'll probably want to do some comparison quote shopping. Rates vary from company to company and you may be able to get a lower premium. However, make sure that when you are requesting car insurance quotes to tell the truth about your driving and claim history. Insurance companies will find this information out when they go to underwrite your policy and you could end up having to pay more -- or even be cancelled -- because you weren't truthful.

Make sure to get at least three comparison car insurance quotes and provide the same information to each company or agent. If you're concerned about paying too much because of your claim, there are ways to lower your insurance costs by raising deductibles or asking about discounts.