Expensive car insurance can empty your savings account and make it impossible to make ends meet. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to cut your insurance bill. You have so many car insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, having more insurers makes it harder to find the lowest rates.
Locating affordable protection in Columbus is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these tips to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Ohio consumers just need to know the proper methods to find cheap car insurance in Columbus online.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of purchase, but less common discounts must be inquired about before they will apply. If you aren’t receiving every discount available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- 55 and Retired – Mature drivers may qualify for reduced rates.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
- Club Memberships – Being a member of a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying car insurance.
- College Student – Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But all discounts will cut your overall premium however.
Save Money with These Tips
Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better car insurance rates.
- Having a spouse can save you money – Having a spouse helps lower the price when buying car insurance. Having a spouse is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- More people means more accidents – Being located in a small town has it’s advantages when talking about car insurance. Lower population means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers who live in large Ohio cities have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. More time commuting means higher likelihood of an accident.
- A clean driving record saves money – Drivers with clean records have lower premiums than bad drivers. Even a single citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
- Better crash test results mean better rates – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safer cars reduce injuries and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
- Better credit scores mean better rates – Your credit score is a big factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Therefore, if your credit score is lower than you’d like, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have poor credit.
- Where do you drive? – The more you drive in a year’s time the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks not used for work or commuting can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your car insurance policy properly reflects the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
Buying car insurance from a local agent
Certain consumers prefer to visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Agents can answer important questions and give you peace of mind. The best thing about getting online price quotes is that you can obtain the best rates and still choose a local agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is important especially in Columbus.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, the coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents in Columbus who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no need to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy!
The difference between Columbus car insurance agents
When finding a reputable insurance agent or broker, there are two different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in Columbus are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). While both can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning the difference between them since it can impact buying decisions.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you get quotes from multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
Below is a list of independent agencies in Columbus willing to provide rate quotes.
Grange Insurance – 605 S Front St – Columbus, OH 43215 – (614) 232-8735
Putnam-White-Lewis Agency – 4161 N High St – Columbus, OH 43214 – (614) 267-1269
Ohio Insurance Guaranty Assoc – 1840 Mackenzie Dr # 100 – Columbus, OH 43220 – (614) 442-6601
James Turner Agency – 30 Northwoods Blvd – Columbus, OH 43235 – (614) 430-8946
Walter David and Assoc Agency – 3705 Kennybrook Blf – Columbus, OH 43220 – (614) 457-5522
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents can only write with one company and some examples include State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so it’s a take it or leave it situation. These agents are trained well on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents.
Below are captive agencies in Columbus who can help you get comparison quotes.
Farmers Insurance Group – 2971 Cortona Rd – Columbus, OH 43204 – (614) 351-8650
Allstate Insurance Co – 7710 Olentangy River Rd – Columbus, OH 43235 – (614) 785-9944
Liberty Mutual Insurance – 2280 Henderson Rd – Columbus, OH 43220 – (614) 459-2008
State Farm Insurance – 21 W Broad St # 100 – Columbus, OH 43215 – (614) 461-7833
American Family Insurance – 1415 E Dublin Granville Rd – Columbus, OH 43229 – (614) 885-3416
For a full directory of car insurance agents in Columbus, go to this page.
Selecting a car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. These questions are important to ask:
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
- Are they full-time agents?
Once you have positive responses to your questions and a good coverage price, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that will adequately provide car insurance.
Ohio insurance information
Additional information can be found on the website for the Ohio Department of Insurance through this link. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, find a variety of consumer forms, find out industry alerts, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
Do the work, save more money
We just presented many ways to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small local company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
Discount car insurance is definitely available online and also from your neighborhood Columbus agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies may not provide online quoting and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.