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So you have multiple credit cards and some have a zero balance. Would the extra credit cards negatively affect your credit score?

And increase your car insurance rate in the process?

What is the "magic" number of credit cards you should have?

Here is a great article that answers these questions and more.

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AUTO INSURANCE CHECKLIST

We wanted to find out from an insider exactly what goes into those prices and what we can do to keep our car insurance costs down. We talked to Patrick Lawson, a 25-year veteran auto insurance agent.

Have you ever wondered how they come up with these numbers? Lawson mentioned the common factors like age, sex, car type and driving record but also noted a new, little known factor. "Companies are now, of all things, checking credit because people with poor credit, statistically, can be susceptible to more claims," he said. [...]

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In some insurance companies, underwriters have long used credit records in cases where additional information was needed.

Keep a good credit rating

Many insurance companies use your credit rating to determine whether to insure you and how much to charge.

Whether we like it or not, society equates the ability to manage credit responsibly with responsible behavior, even if individuals have a bad credit record through no fault of their own.

The use of credit-related information in underwriting and rating for many insurers has become routine. Insurers use insurance scores to different extents and in different ways. Most use them to screen new applicants for insurance and price new business.