Cutting costs on Barton auto insurance is always challenging for beginners to online rate comparisons. You have so many different companies and agents to choose from that it can easily be a big hassle to find the lowest price.
Consumers should take time to compare rates on a regular basis because insurance prices trend upward over time. Even if you got the best deal at your last renewal there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re about to find out the only way to buy cheaper auto insurance.
Don’t overlook these six auto insurance discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always publicize every policy discount in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details both the well known as well as some of the hidden discounts that you may qualify for. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- ABS and Traction Control Discounts – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Multi-policy Discount – If you combine your auto and home policies with one company you may save at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Buying a policy with multiple vehicles with the same auto insurance company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Claim-Free Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can save substantially in comparison with bad drivers.
- Military Rewards – Having an actively deployed family member could be rewarded with lower auto insurance rates.
- Theft Deterent – Vehicles that have factory anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen so companies will give you a small discount.
As is typical with insurance, most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Despite the appearance that all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don’t profit that way.
A list of companies and a selection of discounts are outlined below.
- Geico may include discounts for military active duty, defensive driver, multi-policy, anti-theft, and multi-vehicle.
- Mercury Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including good student, good driver, anti-theft, accident-free, and professional/association.
- Farmers Insurance has discounts for bundle discounts, distant student, teen driver, mature driver, and electronic funds transfer.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has savings for mature driver, multiple vehicles, paperless, teen driver, group or association, paid in full, and company car.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts for new vehicle discount, teen driver discount, newly retired, hybrid vehicle, and new move discount.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for teen safe driver, teen safety rewards, accident prevention training, safe driver, multi-car, anti-theft, and anti-lock brakes.
- Progressive discounts include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, online signing, good student, continuous coverage, and homeowner.
- USAA includes discounts for loyalty savings, vehicle storage, driver training, annual mileage, and multi-policy.
If you need lower rates, check with every prospective company which discounts you qualify for. All car insurance discounts may not be offered in Barton. To see auto insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Barton, click here.
Truth in auto insurance advertising
Consumers can’t avoid all the ads for auto insurance savings by Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the companies seem to make the promise about saving some big amount if you switch your policy.
That’s great but how can every company have lower policy pricing? Here is the trick they use.
All companies quote their best rates for the type of customer that will be a good risk. A good example of this type of risk profile might be over the age of 45, has no claims, and insures a new vehicle. Any new insured that matches those criteria is entitled to the best price and have a good chance to cut their rates substantially.
Potential insureds who do not fit this ideal profile must pay a higher rate and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone who quotes” will save that much if they switch. That is how insurance companies can state the savings. Because of the profiling, it is so important to compare many company’s premium rates. It is impossible to guess with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Vermont auto insurance information
Even more information can be found at the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation website. Vermont consumers can find disaster information, read industry bulletins, learn about insurance regulations, and get help finding coverage.
Auto insurance coverage information
Understanding the coverages of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many Vermont drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (Vermont limits are 25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Liability car insurance
Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 50/100/50 which means a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000.
Liability can pay for claims like loss of income, court costs and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Vermont state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.
Collision coverage
This pays for damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for claims like sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter, sustaining damage from a pot hole, crashing into a building and backing into a parked car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for short-term medical expenses such as surgery, prosthetic devices, EMT expenses, dental work and doctor visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hail damage, hitting a deer and rock chips in glass. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.
Smart consumers save more
As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice collision coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Cheap auto insurance can be sourced both online as well as from independent agents in Barton, and you should compare rates from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these smaller companies sell through independent insurance agencies.
Throughout this article, we presented many tips how you can save on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with the smaller companies.