Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your savings account and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping is a great way to tighten up your finances.
There are many auto insurance companies to pick from, and though it is a good thing to be able to choose, it makes it harder to find a good deal.
It’s smart to compare rates every six months since rates change quite often. Just because you found the lowest price last year you can probably find a better price now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re about to find out the things you must know in order to find better coverage at a better price.
Buying car insurance in North Augusta is not that difficult. Just about every driver who buys auto insurance should be able to reduce their rates. Although South Carolina car owners must understand how companies sell insurance online.
Take these nine discounts and save
Auto insurance companies do not advertise all available discounts very well, so we break down some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.
- Use Seat Belts – Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Distant Student – Children living away from home attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Anti-theft System – Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
- Auto/Life Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
- Sign Online – A few companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy online.
- Own a Home – Simply owning a home may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Drivers should understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because you may think it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck.
For a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in South Carolina, click here to view.
Can’t I compare rates from local North Augusta agents?
Certain consumers just want to visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.
After completing this form (opens in new window), your information is immediately sent to local insurance agents who will battle for your business. You don’t have to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent to your email. Get lower rates AND an agent nearby.
Picking an insurer needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price. These questions are important to ask:
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Who are their largest clients?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in South Carolina?
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
The following are North Augusta auto insurance companies that may be able to provide comparison quotes.
Allstate Insurance – 1832 Georgia Ave, North Augusta, SC 29841 – (803) 279-6700
Doreen Cannon Insurance – 129 Market Place Dr, North Augusta, SC 29860 – (803) 613-1220
Frankie Michaelis/State Farm – 1740 Georgia Ave, North Augusta, SC 29841 – (803) 279-4921
American Insurance – 1005 Georgia Ave, North Augusta, SC 29841 – (803) 613-0971
Farm Bureau Insurance – 238 Edgefield Rd, North Augusta, SC 29841 – (803) 278-4780
After getting positive responses to your questions and locked in a price quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance company that is a good match to adequately provide auto insurance. But remember, consumers can cancel coverage whenever you wish so don’t feel you’re contractually obligated to your new company for any length of time.
Do you really save 40% when you switch?
Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. All the companies make an identical promise about savings if you switch to them. How do they all say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies can use profiling for the type of customer they prefer to insure. A good example of a desirable insured might be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives newer vehicles. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who don’t meet this ideal profile will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. Because of the profiling, you need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.
What auto insurance coverages do you need?
Knowing the specifics of a auto insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find typical coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for bills for things like X-ray expenses, chiropractic care, rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits and nursing services. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many South Carolina drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Collision coverage – This covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers things like sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with a tree, colliding with another moving vehicle, scraping a guard rail and backing into a parked car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Liability insurance – Liability coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects and loss of income. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but buy as large an amount as possible. South Carolina requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like damage from flooding, vandalism, a broken windshield, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and hail damage. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
More tips and info about auto insurance can be read at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and discover disciplinary actions.
Other useful links include Wikipedia and this list of insurance agents in North Augusta, SC.
In conclusion
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, an insured dropped full coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
In this article, we presented some good ideas how you can save on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even discover the lowest rates come from the smaller companies. They can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Progressive and Geico.