Are you a victim of an overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. Online insurance companies like Geico, Progressive and Allstate continually hit you with catchy ads and it is difficult to avoid their marketing magic and do the work needed to find the best deal.
If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to shop for the lowest rates while maintaining coverages. Finding the best rates in Danbury is not rocket science. Connecticut vehicle owners only need an understanding of how to get comparison quotes online.
How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Danbury, Connecticut
Getting a lower price on insurance can be surprisingly simple. All that’s required is to spend a few minutes on the computer comparing rate quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done in several different ways.
- The recommended way to find low rates would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This form eliminates the need for multiple quote forms for every auto insurance company. Just one form compares rates .
- A harder way to obtain and compare quotes online consists of going to the website of each company to request a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Auto-Owners, State Farm and American Family. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Danbury, click here.
However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing exactly the same quote information for every quote you compare. If each company quotes different liability limits it’s impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Danbury.
These discounts can slash auto insurance rates
Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list all available discounts very well, so the following is a list of some of the best known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are throwing money away.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-33.jpg" alt="Danbury Connecticut car insurance“/>
- Sign Online – A few companies give back up to $50 simply for signing online.
- Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you could save 5% or more.
- Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than less cautious drivers.
- No Claims – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts when compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
- Homeowners Savings – Owning a home in Danbury can help you save on auto insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.
For a list of providers offering auto insurance discounts in Danbury, click here to view.
Components of your insurance rates
Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that play a part in calculating your auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower auto insurance prices.
- What are your deductibles? – Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, or theft. The deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. The more expense you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
- Choose a safe vehicle and save – Safer cars get lower rates. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
- Where you live – Residing in a rural area has it’s advantages when it comes to auto insurance. Urban drivers tend to have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents.
- Teen drivers pay high rates – Youthful drivers in Connecticut tend to be less responsible when driving so auto insurance rates are higher. Adding a young driver onto a policy can break the bank. More mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
- Pleasure use saves money – The more you drive in a year’s time the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks not used for work or commuting receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Do you need the policy add-ons? – There are a ton of add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Insurance for roadside assistance, accidental death and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea at first, but if you don’t need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- How many coverages with the same company – Most insurers give discounts to insureds who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can be five, ten or even twenty percent. Even with this discount, it’s in your best interest to compare rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Even more information can be found at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, get help finding coverage, view a list of available companies, and read industry bulletins.
Other useful links include NAIC.org’s Understanding your Policy and this resource to find Danbury, CT insurance agents.
Final thoughts
We just covered a lot of tips how to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the best prices are with a small local company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
Cheap auto insurance can be found both online in addition to many Danbury insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not provide online quoting and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The aim is to find the BEST coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.