Have you had enough of sacrificing other expenses to buy car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Washington drivers. People have many insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, more options can take longer to get the best deal.
Consumers need to get comparison quotes periodically because prices trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the best quotes a year ago there may be better deals available now. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the proper way to buy cheaper car insurance.
Choosing the best insurance company for you in Kenmore is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Washington drivers just need to know the proper methods to compare price quotes on the web.
Most larger insurance companies allow consumers to get pricing on the web. The process can be done by anyone as you simply type in into the form. When the form is submitted, the system orders your driving and credit reports and returns pricing information based on these factors. This helps simplify price comparisons, but having to visit multiple sites and complete many quote forms gets old quite quickly. But it’s very important to do this if you want to get the lowest possible prices on car insurance.
The preferred way to find better car insurance pricing utilizes a single form to return rates from several different companies. It’s a real time-saver, requires less work, and makes online shopping much more enjoyable. Immediately after submitting the form, your coverage is rated and you can choose your choice of the quotes returned. If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. It can be completed in a matter of minutes and can result in significant savings.
If you want to compare rates now, click here to open in a new tab and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you input the coverage information as shown on your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will have rate comparison quotes for similar insurance coverage.
Is there truth in advertising?
Consumers in Washington can’t avoid all the ads that claim the best premium rates by companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all advertise the message that you can save just by moving your coverage.
That’s great but how can every company charge less that you’re paying now? Here is the trick they use.
Companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that will be a good risk. For example, a preferred risk might have to be over the age of 45, carries high limits, and has excellent credit. A propective insured who matches that profile may get the lowest premium rates in Kenmore and most likely will save money with a new company.
Potential customers who don’t qualify for the ideal profile may be forced to pay higher rates which translates to the customer buying from a different company. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, you really need to do a rate comparison at every renewal. Because you never know which company will have better rates than you’re paying now.
Get lower rates with these seven car insurance discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you might already qualify for some discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of purchase, but less common discounts must be asked for prior to getting the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you could be getting lower rates.
- Student in College – Older children who attend college more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
- Clubs and Organizations – Participating in certain professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums on your next renewal.
- Save over 55 – Mature drivers are able to get a slight reduction on a .
- Discounts for Government Workers – Active or former government employment can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your car insurance provider.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
- Data Collection Discounts – Insureds that choose to allow companies to look at driving habits by using a telematics device like Drivewise from Allstate or In-Drive from State Farm may see discounts as long as they are good drivers.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings of more than 20%.
A quick disclaimer, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Just because you may think it’s possible to get free car insurance, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
Auto insurance companies that may have these benefits include:
Check with every prospective company how you can save money. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered in Kenmore. If you would like to choose from a list of insurance companies that offer discounts in Washington, click here to view.
Learn about car insurance coverages
Having a good grasp of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/10 in Washington), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.
Auto liability insurance – Liability insurance provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see liability limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.
Liability coverage protects against things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, loss of income and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Washington requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Insurance for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for bills for EMT expenses, surgery, pain medications, doctor visits and nursing services. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover you and your occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like hitting a deer, hitting a bird, damage from getting keyed and theft. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Collision coverages – Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for things such as rolling your car, sustaining damage from a pot hole and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Car insurance savings summarized
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at the best possible price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
We just covered some good ideas how to compare car insurance auto insurance rates online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding . Consumers could even find that the best price on car insurance is with the least-expected company. These companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.
Additional detailed information can be read at the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website. Washington consumers can file complaints about a company, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, discover disciplinary actions, and report car insurance fraud.