Paying for high-priced car insurance can stress out your bank account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Comparing price quotes is a great way to ensure you are getting the best deal.
You have multiple auto insurance companies to choose from, and although it’s a good thing to be able to choose, more options can take longer to adequately compare rates.
Consumers should take time to compare prices quite often because prices are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best quotes a couple years back you can probably find a lower rate today. You’ll find a ton of advice on car insurance out there, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some tested techniques to reduce your car insurance bill.
Car insurance discounts help lower rates
Car insurance is neither fun to buy or cheap, but there’s a good chance there are discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some of these disounts will be visible when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be asked about prior to receiving the credit.
- Auto/Life Discount – Select car insurance companies reward you with a lower premium rate if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking a course that instructs on driving safety could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than less cautious drivers.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military may lower your premium rates slightly.
- Government Employee Discount – Simply working for the federal government may qualify for a discount when you depending on your car insurance provider.
- Good Students Pay Less – Maintaining excellent grades can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Owning your own home or condo can earn you a little savings since owning and maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
To find insurance companies that offer multiple discounts in Humboldt, click here to view.
How to compare free Humboldt car insurance price quotes
There are multiple methods to compare car insurance quotes, and some are less time-consuming than others. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in Humboldt, or you can utilize the web to get the quickest rates.
Most of the best insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit one quote, and every company can give them a price for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests for every car insurance company. To find out what other companies charge click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to getting quotes like this is you can’t choose which providers to get quotes from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to receive pricing from, we have assembled a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Tennessee. Click here for list of insurance companies in Tennessee.
Whichever way you use, make absolute certain that you use identical information on every quote. If you have unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be nearly impossible to make a fair rate comparison in Humboldt. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages could throw off the whole comparison. And when price shopping your coverage, more quotes helps increase your odds of locating the best price. Some smaller insurers to not give rate quotes online, so it’s important to also get quotes on coverage from those companies, too.
Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?
Popular car insurance providers such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads in print and on television. All the ads try to convey promises that drivers will save a bundle after switching your coverage. But how can every company offer you a better deal?<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-107.jpg" alt="Humboldt TN insurance quotes” />
Many companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a profitable risk profile could be a mature driver, has no tickets, and insures a new vehicle. Anyone who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates in Humboldt and have a good chance to save a lot if they switch.
Insureds who do not match this stringent profile may receive higher premium rates which results in the customer buying from someone else. If you listen closely, the ads state “drivers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that much when switching. That is how insurance companies can make those claims. Each company has different criteria, so drivers should quotes as often as possible. It is impossible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.
Car insurance coverages explained
Understanding the coverages of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are typical coverage types found on most car insurance policies.
Coverage for collisions
Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as backing into a parked car, hitting a mailbox and crashing into a building. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like theft, hitting a deer, rock chips in glass and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Insurance for medical payments
Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses for dental work, EMT expenses, rehabilitation expenses, pain medications and X-ray expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Liability insurance
Liability insurance protects you from damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability insurance covers things such as bail bonds, attorney fees, funeral expenses and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Tennessee requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/15,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (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.
Final thoughts
When getting , it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the lowest possible cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Cheaper car insurance is available from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so get from both of them in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who don’t offer rates over the internet and many times these regional carriers sell through local independent agencies.
Tennessee insurance information
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance website. Tennessee drivers can read consumer alerts, report car insurance fraud, and view a list of available companies.
Additional helpful sites include FindNewCarInsurance.com and this link where you can get more info about Humboldt coverage.