High-priced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and possibly require postponing other expenditures. Comparing rate quotes can be a smart way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.
Numerous auto insurance companies battle for your insurance dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurers and get the best coverage at the lowest cost out there.
It’s a good habit to do rate comparisons as often as possible because rates are usually higher with each renewal. If you had the lowest premium rates on your last policy other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the quickest ways to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.
Auto insurance rates and discounts
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. A few discounts will be applied when you purchase, but some must be inquired about before you get the savings. If you do not double check each discount you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some companies give discounts for switching to them before your current coverage expires. You may see this discount when you get .
- Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a defensive driving course could earn you a small percentage discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- ABS Braking Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with ABS or steering control are much safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accidents.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices prevent vehicle theft so companies will give you a small discount.
Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, that’s just not realistic.
A list of companies and their possible discounts can be found below.
- State Farm discounts include accident-free, multiple policy, driver’s education, anti-theft, safe vehicle, and good driver.
- Geico includes discounts for five-year accident-free, anti-theft, seat belt use, emergency military deployment, military active duty, daytime running lights, and multi-vehicle.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online quote discount, homeowner, online signing, multi-vehicle, and good student.
- 21st Century has savings for driver training, anti-lock brakes, early bird, homeowners, student driver, and defensive driver.
- American Family may offer discounts for accident-free, mySafetyValet, good student, multi-vehicle, bundled insurance, defensive driver, and Steer into Savings.
- The Hartford offers discounts for air bag, defensive driver, driver training, anti-theft, good student, and bundle.
- AAA offers discounts including pay-in-full, good student, multi-policy, AAA membership discount, good driver, education and occupation, and multi-car.
Before purchasing a policy, check with each insurance company to give you their best rates. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply in your state. To see a list of companies offering auto insurance discounts in Florida, follow this link.
Cheap North Lauderdale auto insurance rate quotes online
There are multiple methods to shop for auto insurance, but some are less time-consuming than others. You could waste a few hours discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in North Lauderdale, or you can stay home and use the internet to quickly compare rates.
Most car insurance companies participate in a marketplace that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and each participating company provides a quote based on that data. This eliminates the need for quote requests to each individual auto insurance company. To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.
The one downside to using this type of system is you cannot specify the providers you want pricing from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to compare rates, we put together a list of the cheapest auto insurance companies in Florida. View list of Florida insurance companies.
It’s up to you which method you use, but try to use apples-to-apples coverage information for every quote you compare. If you are comparing different deductibles then you won’t be able to make a fair rate comparison in North Lauderdale.
Auto insurance is unique, just like you
When buying the best auto insurance coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions might point out whether or not you could use an agent’s help.
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
- When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- What are the financial responsibility laws in Florida?
If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.
Compare rate quotes but buy from a neighborhood North Lauderdale auto insurance agent
Some people just want to visit with an insurance agent and that is not a bad decision Professional agents can point out coverage gaps and will help you if you have claims. An additional benefit of price shopping on the web is you can get cheaper premium rates and still have an agent to talk to. And supporting local agencies is still important in North Lauderdale.
After filling out this quick form, the quote information is immediately sent to insurance agents in North Lauderdale who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. There is no need to search for an agent because quoted prices will be sent to your email. If you need to compare rates from a particular provider, you would need to search and find their rate quote page and fill out their quote form.
Below is a short list of insurers in North Lauderdale who can help you get rate quotes.
Academy Insurance – 7106 Southgate Blvd, North Lauderdale, FL 33068 – (954) 726-6199
Stirling Insurance Svc Inc – 1687 S State Road 7, North Lauderdale, FL 33068 – (954) 977-4855
Finding the right company requires you to look at more than just a cheap price. These are some questions you should get answers to.
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
- Is there any savings for paying the full premium?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Are they involved in claim handling?
- Is every driver in your family covered?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Does the agency have a positive business rating?
After getting reasonable responses to all your questions as well as a affordable price, it’s a good possibility that you have found a company that can adequately provide auto insurance.
Auto insurance ads bend the truth
Florida drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that claim the best premium rates by 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads state the claim that you’ll save big after switching your policy.
But how can every company have lower policy pricing? It’s all in the words they use.
Companies have specific guidelines for the type of insured that earns them the most money. For example, a driver they prefer should be a married male, carries full coverage, and chooses high deductibles. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will get very good North Lauderdale prices and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who fall short of the requirements will have to pay higher prices which usually ends up with the prospect going elsewhere. The trick companies use is to say “people that switch” not “everyone who quotes” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims.
This illustrates why drivers should get price quotes at each policy renewal. It is just not possible to predict which insurance companies will give you lower premium rates than your current company.
The coverage is in the details
Having a good grasp of auto insurance can be of help when determining appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Collision coverage protection
This coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things like crashing into a ditch, scraping a guard rail, hitting a parking meter and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for things like pain medications, chiropractic care, EMT expenses and doctor visits. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Auto liability
Liability insurance provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability insurance covers claims such as medical expenses, structural damage and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford. Florida state law requires minimum liability limits of 10,000/20,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.
Since many Florida drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (which is 10/20/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Normally the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like fire damage, rock chips in glass, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and falling objects. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Smart consumers save more
Cheaper auto insurance can be purchased both online in addition to local insurance agencies, so you need to with both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these smaller providers work with independent agents.
We’ve covered quite a bit of information on how to compare auto insurance premium rates online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the best price on auto insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower prices than their larger competitors like Progressive and Geico.
More consumer information in Florida
More information is available on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website located here. Visitors are able to file complaints about a company, discover disciplinary actions, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.