Buying cheap Brookhaven car insurance on the internet can be rather challenging for consumers new to online price comaprisons. With dozens of online companies available, how can you even start to compare every company to locate the lowest price available?
You should take the time to check car insurance prices once or twice a year because insurance rates change frequently. Even if you got the lowest rates two years ago you will most likely find a better rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to learn how to use the internet to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
If you are insured now or are just looking to switch companies, you will benefit by learning to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. The purpose of this post is to introduce you to the best way to quote coverages and some tricks to saving. Mississippi consumers only need an understanding of the most effective way to compare price quotes online.
How to Get Brookhaven Car Insurance Comparison Quotes
There are a variety of methods to compare car insurance prices but some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could waste time driving to insurance agencies in Brookhaven, or you can stay home and use the internet to maximize your effort.
Most major companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers send in one quote, and at least one company can provide price quotes based on the submitted data. This system prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for every car insurance company. To participate in this free quote system, click here (opens in new window).
The one disadvantage to getting quotes like this is that consumers can’t choose which insurance companies you want pricing from. So if you want to select individual companies to compare rates, we have assembled a list of companies who write car insurance in Mississippi. Click to view list.
Whichever way you use, ensure you are comparing the exact same coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If each company quotes higher or lower deductibles then you won’t be able to decipher which rate is best in Brookhaven.
Drivers who switch save $482 a year? Really?
Consumers in Mississippi can’t ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by companies like State Farm and Allstate. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you move to them.
How do they all claim to save you money?
Different companies can use profiling for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, is a homeowner, and has excellent credit. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will get very good rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.
Potential insureds who do not match the “perfect” profile will have to pay higher premiums and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can truthfully make those claims. Because of the profiling, drivers must quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know the company that will fit your personal profile best.
Pay less by taking advantage of these ten discounts
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always list all their discounts very well, so here is a list both well-publicized as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If you don’t get every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Accident Waiver – Certain companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Some companies give a break if you buy life insurance.
- Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Club Memberships – Affiliation with a professional or civic organization could trigger savings on your policy.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When choosing adequate coverage, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether or not you may require specific advice.
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
- What discounts do I qualify for?
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
- Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
- What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
- Do I need higher deductibles?
If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.
Information about specific coverages
Having a good grasp of car insurance aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Liability insurance – This protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects YOU from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for 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 might see liability limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against things like legal defense fees, medical expenses, funeral expenses, pain and suffering and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but buy higher limits if possible. Mississippi state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/25,000 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like a broken windshield, vandalism, fire damage and falling objects. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This provides protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many Mississippi drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/25 in Mississippi), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Collision coverage – This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things such as crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail, colliding with another moving vehicle, rolling your car and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Medical expense coverage – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for expenses like EMT expenses, prosthetic devices, chiropractic care, dental work and nursing services. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Better coverage you can count on
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, an insured dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.
Drivers who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, being labeled a high risk driver, lack of trust in their agent and even poor customer service. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company can be easier than you think.
In this article, we covered a lot of information how to get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the best prices are with a smaller regional carrier.
To learn even more about car insurance
More detailed Mississippi car insurance information can be read at the Mississippi Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, download brochures, and find out industry alerts.
The following information may also be useful.