Are you regretting buying overpriced auto insurance? Don’t feel bad because there are a lot of people in Avon just like you who feel imprisoned by their auto insurance policy. Many insurance companies vie for your business, so it’s not easy to compare every company to find the best rates possible.
If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to shop for the lowest rates while maximizing coverage. Finding affordable coverage in Avon is not that difficult. Ohio consumers just need to learn the best way to shop online.
Auto insurance discounts are available to cut your rates
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but there could be significant discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Most are applied when you purchase, but less common discounts must be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
- Early Switch Discount – A few insurance companies offer discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to fasten their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Theft Deterent System – Cars and trucks optioned with advanced anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Safe drivers can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
- Senior Citizen Discount – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Drive Less and Save – Low annual miles may enable drivers to earn substantially lower auto insurancerates.
- Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a course teaching safe driver skills is a good idea and can lower rates depending on where you live.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Factory options such as air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of up to 25% or more.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Online Discount – A handful of insurance companies will provide an incentive for buying your policy over the internet.
One last thing about discounts, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, you aren’t that lucky.
Insurance companies that may have some of the discounts shown above possibly include:
Check with each company or agent which credits you are entitled to. A few discounts might not be offered on policies in every state. To locate auto insurance companies with significant discounts in Ohio, click this link.
There are multiple methods to compare auto insurance quotes, but there is one way that is easier and takes less work. You could waste time talking about coverages with insurance companies in Avon, or you can stay home and use online quotes to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Most car insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and each participating company provides a quote based on the submitted data. This eliminates the need for quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company.
To find out how much you can save on auto insurance click to open in new window.
The only drawback to using this type of system is you cannot specify the insurers to receive prices from. If you wish to select individual companies to compare rates, we have a listing of companies who write auto insurance in Ohio. Click here for list of insurance companies in Ohio.
The approach you take is up to you, just make absolute certain that you use identical coverage limits and deductibles on every quote you get. If you enter mixed coverages it’s impossible to determine the best price in Avon.
Your auto insurance coverage should be tailored to you
When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions might help in determining if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
- Does my vehicle qualify for pleasure use?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Auto insurance coverage options
Knowing the specifics of a auto insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverage types offered by auto insurance companies.
Comprehensive auto coverage – This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for claims such as damage from flooding, hitting a bird and hitting a deer. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability car insurance – This can cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property in an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage pays for things like emergency aid, medical expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Ohio state minimum liability requirements are 12,500/25,000/7,500 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many Ohio drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 12,500/25/7,500), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Most of the time these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Collision coverages – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as damaging your car on a curb, crashing into a building, colliding with a tree, sustaining damage from a pot hole and rolling your car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses for things like nursing services, pain medications and dental work. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Final thoughts
More affordable auto insurance is attainable online and with local Avon insurance agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who do not offer online rate quotes and usually these smaller providers sell through local independent agents.
In this article, we presented many ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of getting . You may even find the lowest prices come from an unexpected company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like Progressive and Geico.
When searching for , do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.