If online auto insurance comparisons are new to you, you can be overwhelmed by the sheer number of companies competing for business in Oklahoma City.
Consumers should take time to do rate comparisons once or twice a year because rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you had the lowest rates a year ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is a lot of bad advice regarding auto insurance on the internet, so we’re going to give you some solid techniques on how to slash your auto insurance rates.
If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Locating affordable protection in Oklahoma City is quite easy. Nevertheless, Oklahoma drivers need to learn how big insurance companies price insurance differently because it can help you find the best coverage.
Where Can I Get Cheap Oklahoma City Auto Insurance?
Comparing auto insurance rates can take hours if you aren’t aware of the easiest way. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in Oklahoma City, or you could save time and use online quotes to maximize your effort.
The majority of car insurance companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers complete one form, and each participating company provides a quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company. To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to start a free quote.
One minor caviat to comparing rates this way is you cannot specify which insurance companies you will receive quotes from. So if you want to choose individual companies for rate comparison, we have a listing of companies who write auto insurance in Oklahoma. Click to view list.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make darn sure you compare identical coverages and limits for each comparison quote. If you are comparing different values for each quote it will be impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Oklahoma City. Quoting even small variations in coverages could mean much higher rates. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that obtaining a wide range of quotes will improve the odds of getting lower pricing.
Do you qualify for these ten discounts?
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you may find discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some trigger automatically at the time of purchase, but a few must be specifically requested prior to receiving the credit.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-100.jpg" alt="Oklahoma City car insurance quote”/>
- Accident Forgiveness – Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
- Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application digitally online.
- Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with a few auto insurance companies.
- Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Drivers Education – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
- College Student – Children living away from home attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Organization Discounts – Belonging to a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low mileage vehicles can earn a substantially lower rate.
- Driver Safety – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more depending on where you live.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.
Consumers should know that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any amount of discount will reduce the cost of coverage.
Auto insurance policy specifics
Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Collision coverage – Collision coverage covers damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers things like driving through your garage door, hitting a parking meter, sideswiping another vehicle and hitting a mailbox. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Medical expense coverage – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses such as hospital visits, dental work, rehabilitation expenses, chiropractic care and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as hail damage, vandalism, damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The most your auto insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This provides protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.
Since many Oklahoma drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/25 in Oklahoma), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Frequently these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Liability insurance – Liability insurance can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Some companies may use a combined limit which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability can pay for things like pain and suffering, repair costs for stationary objects and attorney fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Oklahoma state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.
Additional auto insurance information is available on the Oklahoma Insurance Department website. Click here for link. Consumers can view a list of available companies, find out which companies have the most complaints, and download brochures.