When searching for lower-cost insurance, do you get overwhelmed by the crazy number of car insurance choices in Lino Lakes? You’re not alone. Drivers have such a vast assortment of choices available that it can really be a burden to find a cheaper company. If you’ve ever been there, you know that Lino Lakes is an awesome place to live, but paying high car insurance rates makes it impossible to meet other financial obligations.
Buy cheaper car insurance with these tips
Lots of factors are used in the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, although others are less apparent like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating. One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of the rating factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. If you know what impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that may result in lower rates.
The list below includes a partial list of the pieces that factor into prices.
- Older drivers are lower risk – More experienced drivers tend to be more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.Young drivers are statistically shown to be careless and easily distracted when at the wheel of a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates.
- Don’t cancel your policy without a new one in place – Allowing your car insurance policy to lapse can be a guaranteed way to bump up your car insurance costs. In addition to paying higher premiums, getting caught without coverage could result in a revoked license or a big fine. Then you may be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Minnesota motor vehicle department.
- Only buy what you need – There are many additional extra coverages you can purchase on your car insurance policy. Coverages like coverage for rental cars, accidental death, and extra life insurance coverage are examples of these. The coverages may be enticing when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so consider taking them off your policy.
- Pleasure use or commuting – The more miles you rack up on your car in a year the higher your rate. A lot of companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Autos used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates than cars that get driven a lot. It’s always a good idea to double check that your car insurance declarations sheet properly reflects the right rating data, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- More stress means more cost – Careers such as real estate brokers, business owners and stock brokers generally pay higher rates than average because of high stress and lots of time spent away from family. Other professions such as scientists, athletes and performers have the lowest average rates.
- Poor driving means higher costs – Your driving record has a huge affect on how much you pay. Just one speeding ticket can increase rates substantially. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers unfortunate enough to have license-revoking tickets like reckless driving or DUI may face state-mandated requirements to complete a SR-22 with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Reserve car insurance claims for larger damages – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can look forward to higher rates. Car insurance companies in Minnesota award most affordable rates to drivers who do not file claims often. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of claims that pose a financial burden.
- Multiple policies with one company – Most companies afford discounts to buyers who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even if you qualify for this discount already, you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Reducing your insurance rates is an easy way to save money. Just take a couple of minutes comparing price quotes from online providers. This can be done using a couple different methods.
One of the best ways to get quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This style of form saves time by eliminating multiple quote forms for every company. One simple form gets you price quotes from all major companies. This is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time.
A different way to compare rate quotes is to take the time to go to each company’s website and fill out their own quote form. For examples sake, we’ll pretend you want to get rates from Liberty Mutual, State Farm and Farmers. To find out each rate you need to navigate to each company’s site and enter your information, which can get old fast.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Lino Lakes, click here.
The final way to comparison shop rate quotes is calling or driving to insurance agents’ offices. The fact that you can get quotes online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you have a need for the peace of mind of an agent trained in personal lines coverage. However, consumers can find lower rates online and have a local agent actually service the policy.
You can choose any of those ways to find more affodable coverage, but make sure you use equivalent quote data on every price quote you get. If the quotes have different deductibles it will be impossible to decipher which rate is best in Lino Lakes.
Car insurance policy discounts
Some providers don’t list every possible discount in an easy-to-find place, so the list below contains a few of the more well known and the harder-to-find credits available to you.
- One Accident Forgiven – but some insurance companies will turn a blind eye to one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a specific time period.
- Distant College Student Discount – Youth drivers who attend college more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars equipped with ABS or steering control can avoid accidents and the ABS can save up to 10%.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By making one initial payment rather than spreading payments over time you could save 5% or more.
- Early Signing – A few larger companies offer discounts for switching policies early. The savings is around 10%.
- Professional Organizations – Having an affiliation with a qualifying organization can get you a small discount on car insurance.
One last thing about discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
A partial list of companies that may offer policyholders most of the discounts above include:
It’s a good idea to ask every company how many discounts you can get. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not apply in every state. To see insurance companies with the best discounts in Minnesota, click here to view.
Do I need an insurance agent?
Some consumers still like to go talk to an agent and that is a smart decision Insurance agents can help you build your policy and help you file claims. An additional benefit of getting online price quotes is the fact that drivers can get lower rates and still buy from a local agent.
After completing this quick form, your insurance coverage information is submitted to companies in Lino Lakes who can give free rate quotes to get your business. There is no reason to drive around because quoted prices will be sent to you instantly. If for some reason you want to compare prices from one company in particular, you can always go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Deciding on a company is decision based upon more than just the premium amount. Below are some questions you should ask.
- Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- How often do they review coverages?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
If you want a good Lino Lakes insurance agent, you must know there are a couple types of agencies and how they are slightly different. Agents can either be independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can sell car insurance policies, but it’s important to point out the difference in how they write coverage because it can factor into buying decisions.
Captive Car Insurance Agencies
Captive insurance agents can only place business with one company and some examples include Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captive agencies receive a lot of sales training on what they offer and that allows them to sell at a higher price point. Consumers often buy from the same agent for years mainly due to high brand loyalty and solid financial strength.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents are normally appointed by many insurers so they can insure your vehicles with a variety of different insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house which is easy for the insured.
When comparing car insurance rates, you definitely need to check rates from several independent insurance agents in order to compare the most rates. Most can insure with smaller regional carriers that may provide cheaper car insurance rates.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agents in Lino Lakes that can give you price quotes.
- J R Lynch Insurance Inc – 7415 Lake Dr – Lino Lakes, MN 55014 – (651) 717-1650
- Bob Mueller Agency – 7960 Lake Dr – Lino Lakes, MN 55014 – (651) 777-2822
To choose from more car insurance agents in Lino Lakes, you may want to see this list of Lino Lakes insurance agencies.
More detailed Minnesota car insurance information is located at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, read industry bulletins, find out industry alerts, and view agent and company licensing information.
Buy online or local, you save
Cost effective car insurance is definitely available both online in addition to many Lino Lakes insurance agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies may not provide internet price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented many ways to compare car insurance auto insurance rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more you , the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies.
Drivers leave their current company for a variety of reasons including poor customer service, policy non-renewal, being labeled a high risk driver and even high rates after DUI convictions. Whatever your reason, choosing a new company can be less work than you think.