Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can drain your bank account and make it hard to pay other bills. Doing a price comparison is a great way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.
With consumers having so many auto insurance companies to choose from, it is very difficult to pick the most affordable company.
Compare the Market for Auto Insurance in East Ridge, Tennessee
To find the best auto insurance prices, there are several ways to compare quotes from local in East Ridge, Tennesseeauto insurance companies. The best way to find competitive insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.
- The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating separate quotes to each individual auto insurance company. Filling out one form gets rate comparisons from many national carriers.
- Another way to find lower rates is going to each company website and fill out their own quote form. For example, we’ll pretend you want rates from Allstate, Geico and Farmers. You would have to spend time on each company’s site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is quicker.
To view a list of companies in East Ridge, click here.
It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you’re using the exact same coverages for every company. If the quotes have differing limits it’s not possible to make a fair comparison in East Ridge. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that comparing more company’s prices gives you a better chance of getting lower pricing.
Do drivers who switch really save?
Auto insurance providers like State Farm and Allstate continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all say the same thing of big savings after switching to their company. How does each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.
All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured could be between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.
Potential customers who don’t qualify for this ideal profile will have to pay higher premiums which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. This is how insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. Because of the profiling, you should quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
Pay less by taking advantage of these six discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise every discount very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the more common as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using.
- Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member can result in better rates.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts up to 30%.
- E-sign – Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up online.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way.
For a list of insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Tennessee, click here.
Car insurance 101
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 coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.
Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses like rehabilitation expenses, nursing services, ambulance fees, funeral costs and doctor visits. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as sideswiping another vehicle, driving through your garage door, rolling your car, crashing into a ditch and backing into a parked car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like fire damage, rock chips in glass, falling objects, hitting a bird and vandalism. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Coverage for liability – This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see values of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage protects against things such as bail bonds, pain and suffering and funeral expenses. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Tennessee state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/15,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This coverage provides protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many Tennessee drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Tennessee limits are 25/50/15), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
One last thing about your coverage
We covered many ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the most savings is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Regional companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like Progressive or Geico.
When you buy insurance online, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, someone dropped physical damage coverage to discover at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.
More tips and info about auto insurance can be read at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance website. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, discover disciplinary actions, and read state legal mandates and laws.