Things You Must Know Before Shopping for East Haven Auto Insurance Online

Comparison shopping for East Haven auto insurance is nearly impossible for consumers new to comparing rates online. Drivers have so many options that it can be a challenge to find the best price in East Haven.

Compare Quotes for East Haven Auto Insurance

Most major insurance companies allow you to get coverage prices directly from their websites. Obtaining pricing is fairly straightforward as you just enter the coverage amounts you desire into a form. Once entered, the system sends out for credit information and your driving record and generates a price based on these factors.

Being able to quote online streamlines rate comparisons, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form gets old quite quickly. Unfortunately, it is important to get many rate quotes in order to get better auto insurance pricing.

Compare rates the easy way

The easiest way to find lower prices uses one form that analyzes rates from a lot of companies. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes online price comparison a little more enjoyable. After sending the form, your coverage is rated and you can select any or none of the resulting price quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. This process only takes a few minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.

If you want to fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you enter the insurance coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This ensures you will receive a rate comparison based on identical coverages.

Do you really save 40% when you switch?

Companies like State Farm, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads on television and other media. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you change your policy. But how can every company claim to save you money?

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a preferred risk might be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. A driver who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential customers who don’t meet these standards will be charged a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can advertise the savings. That is why it is so important to get quotes from several different companies. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.price insurance in Connecticut

Tips to Get Lower East Haven Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

  • Do you have a high stress job? – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs such as real estate brokers, business owners and financial analysts have higher average rates in part from job stress and long work days. Conversely, occupations such as pilots, engineers and homemakers get better rates.
  • An active claims history can cost you – Insurance companies in Connecticut give cheaper rates to insureds who are claim-free. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
  • Little extras can really add up – There are many additional coverages that you can buy when buying auto insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing coverage and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may seem like a good idea at first, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
  • The more you drive the more you pay – The more you drive each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars that are left in the garage get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Verify your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage.

Discounts are available to cut your rates

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the best known as well as the least known auto insurance savings.

  • Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
  • Drivers Education – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.
  • More Vehicles More Savings – Buying coverage for multiple cars or trucks on the same auto insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Drive Safe and Save – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
  • Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
  • Homeowners Discount – Owning a home in East Haven can save you money because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
  • No Claims – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared to bad drivers.
  • New Car Discount – Insuring a new car is cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.

Drivers should understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

For a list of insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Connecticut, click here.

Are insurance agents obsolete?

Some consumers would rather get advice from a local agent. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you can get the lowest rates but still work with a licensed agent.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), the quote information is instantly submitted to participating agents in East Haven who will battle for your insurance coverage. You never need to drive around as quotes are delivered directly to your email. How’s that for easy! You can find the lowest rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.

Deciding on an insurer shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

  • Is assistance available after office hours?
  • What insurance company do they write the most business with?
  • Are they full-time agents?
  • How long has their agency been open in East Haven?
  • Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
  • Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
  • Will your rates increase after a single accident?

If you want to view a list of agents in East Haven to contact, visit this site.

After receiving acceptable answers to your questions and an acceptable price quote, you’ve probably found an insurer that will properly service your auto insurance policy.

East Haven Connecticut insurance ad

Shop smart and save

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where someone dropped liability coverage limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Drivers switch companies for a number of reasons such as an unsatisfactory settlement offer, being labeled a high risk driver, denial of a claim or even extreme rates for teen drivers. Regardless of your reason, finding a new auto insurance company can be easier than you think.

You just learned some good ideas how to lower your auto insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.

Find out more about auto insurance

Additional detailed information is available at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Connecticut consumers can find disaster information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find out which companies have the most complaints.