Finding cheap Wheeling auto insurance is challenging for people who are beginners to quoting and comparing prices online. Drivers have so many options available that it can be a real difficult job to find cheaper premium rates.
It’s a good habit to do rate comparisons at least once a year due to the fact that insurance prices change regularly. Just because you found the best deal on your last policy you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the tricks you need to know to find better coverage at a better price.
Cheaper rates with these five discounts
Auto insurance is expensive, but you might already qualify for some discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of purchase, but some must be asked for prior to getting the savings.
- Federal Government Employee – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off depending on your auto insurance provider.
- Mature Driver Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 may receive reduced rates.
- Sign Online – Some larger companies give back up to $50 over the internet.
- One Accident Forgiven – Not necessarily a discount, but a handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident without the usual rate increase with the catch being you have to be claim-free prior to being involved in the accident.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Despite the appearance that all those discounts means the company will pay you, nobody gets a free ride.
The best auto insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are shown below.
- The Hartford includes discounts for good student, bundle, vehicle fuel type, anti-theft, air bag, and driver training.
- American Family offers premium reductions for TimeAway discount, air bags, good driver, early bird, multi-vehicle, accident-free, and good student.
- Progressive offers discounts including online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, and homeowner.
- Travelers offers discounts for new car, save driver, hybrid/electric vehicle, IntelliDrive, home ownership, multi-car, and continuous insurance.
- Farmers Insurance may offer discounts for teen driver, early shopping, homeowner, bundle discounts, and electronic funds transfer.
- USAA has discounts for annual mileage, multi-policy, new vehicle, good student, military installation, and defensive driver.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for teen driver discount, new graduate, newly retired, multi-policy, new move discount, safety features, and newly married.
Before you buy a policy, ask every prospective company which discounts they offer. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not apply in every state. If you would like to see a list of insurance companies that offer many of these discounts in Wheeling, follow this link.
Are auto insurance agents a thing of the past?
A small number of people still prefer to have an agent’s advice and often times that is recommended Good agents are trained risk managers and help in the event of a claim. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain the lowest rates and also buy local.
After filling out this simple form, your insurance data is immediately sent to local insurance agents that provide to get your business. You won’t even need to contact an agency since price quotes are sent to you. If for some reason you want to get a price quote for a specific company, just search and find their rate quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
Choosing an insurer needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions you should ask.
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
- Is there a 24/7 contact number?
- How long have they been in business?
- Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
- Which family members are covered?
If you want to find an insurance professional in your neighborhood, visit this directory of auto insurance agents in Wheeling.
More consumer information in Illinois
Additional detailed information is available at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read consumer alerts, view agent and company licensing information, find out which companies have the most complaints, and file complaints about a company.
More related Wheeling auto insurance information:
- Wheeling, WV Auto Insurance For Less Than Youre Paying Now
- Cheaper Wheeling Auto Insurance Rates in Five Minutes
- Free Guide to Spending Less for Wheeling, WV Auto Insurance Online
Auto insurance coverage considerations
Knowing the specifics of a auto insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Collision coverage
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with another moving vehicle and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
This pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as hitting a deer, theft, a broken windshield and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Insurance for medical payments
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills such as doctor visits, prosthetic devices and dental work. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Auto liability
Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability can pay for claims such as medical services, medical expenses and attorney fees. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Illinois state minimum liability requirements are 20,000/40,000/15,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
This coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Since many Illinois drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (20/40/15 in Illinois), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked.
Smart shoppers get results
You just read some good ideas how to get a better price on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get prices for, the better chance you’ll have of finding . You may even discover the lowest premium rates are with a small mutual company.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Affordable auto insurance is available from both online companies in addition to many Wheeling insurance agents, so you need to with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not offer the ability to get quotes online and many times these regional carriers prefer to sell through local independent agents.