Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can overdraw your checking account and make it impossible to make ends meet. Doing a price comparison is free and is an excellent way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket. Numerous insurers battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a provider to get the lowest rate
Finding Auto Insurance Deals in Maumelle, Arkansas
Finding a better price on auto insurance isn’t really that difficult. All you need to do is take the time getting comparison quotes provided by online insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- The single most time-saving way to find the lowest comparison rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison click here to open form in new window. This method prevents you from having to do multiple quote forms for each company. One form submission will return quotes .
- A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online consists of visiting each company’s website to complete a price quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Allstate, Geico and Travelers. To get each rate you have to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is quicker.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Maumelle, click here.
Whichever way you use, compare exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles with every price quote. If you are comparing unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s impossible to decipher which rate is best in Maumelle.
These ten discounts can slash auto insurance rates
Auto insurance companies don’t always publicize all their discounts very well, so the following is a list of some of the more common as well as the least known ways to save on auto insurance. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Safety Course Discount – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
- Own a Home – Owning a home in Maumelle can save you money because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
- New Car Discount – Buying coverage on a new vehicle is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
- Resident Student – Any of your kids who live away from home and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.
- Sign Online – Some insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
- Use Seat Belts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents can save substantially compared to drivers who are more careless.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
When might I need the advice of an agent?
When it comes to buying adequate coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions may help highlight if you would benefit from professional advice.
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
- Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
- Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
- Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?
If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Save $491 a year. For real?
Consumers constantly see and hear ads for the lowest price auto insurance by State Farm and Allstate. They all say the same thing that you can save after switching to their company.
How can each company make the same claim?
Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a preferred risk might be between the ages of 40 and 55, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. Any driver who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who don’t qualify for this ideal profile will have to pay a more expensive rate which leads to business not being written. The ads say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, you need to compare many company’s rates. It’s just too difficult to predict which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.
Auto insurance coverage basics
Learning about specific coverages of auto insurance aids in choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the usual coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from flooding and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision – This will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for claims such as sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with another moving vehicle, damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail and rolling your car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Medical costs insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses like dental work, surgery, doctor visits, nursing services and pain medications. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover you and your occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Liability car insurance – Liability insurance protects you from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.
Liability can pay for claims such as medical services, emergency aid, repair costs for stationary objects, bail bonds and medical expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Arkansas requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
UM/UIM Coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many Arkansas drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (which is 25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Final considerations
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice full coverage and learned later that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.
We covered many ideas to compare auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the best prices are with a small mutual company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Progressive and Geico.
More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the Arkansas Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read state legal mandates and laws, and report car insurance fraud.