CLEVELAND -- Car insurance is one of the few commitments you can make and change after the fact to get a better deal.

So Cleveland television station WEWS put insurance companies to the test to uncover the secrets to insurance premium prices.

The station reported that your car insurance is affected by a lot more than what you might think. It enlisted the help of three drivers with various driving backgrounds to find out the highest and lowest insurance quotes for each of them.

At 16 years old, Anastasia Crump is the newest driver.

"I'm 16 and considered more destructive, so my insurance might be a little bit higher," said Crump.

Crump's father, Geoff, expects high rates for his daughter's 1995 Ford Explorer.

"Well I've been through with it with my son, and it was horrifying," said Geoff Crump.

Raymone Adams, 26, remembers high rates, but after driving for eight years with no accidents, he said his premiums dropped more and more. He expects lower quotes for his 1999 Nissan Maxima.

Adelaide George has driven her entire life, and her record is near perfect.

"I got a speeding ticket 35 years ago, but that was it," said George.

She expects reasonable quotes for her 2003 Ford Explorer.

Each person tracked down quotes from more than six insurance companies.

Adams' lowest quote came from Nationwide, at $41.60 a month; his highest came from Progressive at $162 per month.

Crump's lowest came from State Farm, at $160 per month, and her higest from Progressive Direct, at $259 per month.

And George's lowest rate came from All State, at $31.11 per month. Her highest quote came from Acceptance Insurance, with $152.33 per month.

"The difference in prices ... it went from $512 to $2,145, that's quite a difference, said Adams.

But in a similar study by the Ohio Insurance Institute, the same companies that rated highly in the station's test offered some of the lowest rates to other driver profiles.

"You don't know what the difference is, and no one can explain it to you," said Geoff Crump.

And consider this: Despite a decade more experience with no accidents, even driving a less expensive car, Adams got a quote similar to one given to new driver Anastasia.

The investigation revealed that insurance companies are looking at much more than your experience and the car you drive.

The one possible mark against Adams is bad credit.

"A lot of companies didn't mention that to me. Maybe that's the hidden thing they don't tell you about," said Adams.

"Credit report, what does it have to do with ability to drive?" said Geoff Crump.

According to Progressive Insurance, it has a lot to do with it.

"As odd as it may seem, people careful with credit and credit history also seem to be a careful person when they drive," said Progressive's Robin Harbage.

Harbage, the insurance company's product development general manager, said it's all in the math.

"What we're looking for is if this information is correlated with losses," said Harbage.

Another thing that can affect how much your car insurance costs is health care costs at your local hospital.

"For us, cost of insurance includes paying for medical losses if you have accident," said Harbage.

Since you can't change how insurance companies determine what you pay, it's up to you to shop for the best deal and to fix what it is that make you risky in the eyes of the insurer.

"I'm definitely taking steps credit-rating wise, and then eventually get a better rate on my insurance," said Adams.

Ninety percent of insurance companies consider credit rating when they provide a quote, the station reported. In some states, they are required by law to tell you whether your credit rating had a negative impact on your premium.