Paying for high-priced auto insurance can drain your personal savings and put a big crunch on your finances. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
Popular companies such as Geico, Progressive and Allstate increase brand awareness with catchy ads and it can be hard to see past the geckos and flying pigs and take the time to shop coverage around.
You need to compare prices at least once a year because prices trend upward over time. If you had the lowest rates a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting right now, forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in one of the easiest ways to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Companies don’t always publicize all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts up to 30%.
- Sign Early and Save – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It can save you around 10%.
- Discount for Good Grades – A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
- Sign Online – A few companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy online.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
- Student in College – Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
- One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles can earn a substantially lower rate.
- Claim Free – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts as compared to frequent claim filers.
- Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
For a list of insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Nevada, click here.
How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Caliente
To find the best auto insurance prices, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. One of the best ways to find the cheapest insurance rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.
The most efficient way to get the best comparison quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This method keeps you from doing repetitive form submissions for every auto insurance company. One quote request will return quotes .
A more difficult way to get comparison quotes requires you to visit the website for every company you want to comare to request a price quote. For examples sake, let’s assume you want to compare rates from Nationwide, Allstate and Liberty Mutual. You would have to go to every website and enter your information, which is why most consumers use the first method.
To view a list of companies in Caliente, click here.
The hardest method to get comparison rates is to spend your day driving to insurance agents’ offices. The ability to buy insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you want the personal advice that only a license agent can provide. However, consumers can get prices online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll touch on that later.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples coverages and limits on every quote. If each company quotes unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be very difficult to determine the lowest rate in Caliente. Just a small difference in coverage limits can result in a big premium difference. And when price shopping your coverage, obtaining a wide range of quotes will improve the odds of getting better pricing.
When might I need help?
When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions can aid in determining whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
- Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
- Do I need motorclub coverage?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
- Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
But don’t I need an insurance agent?
Some people just want to get advice from a local agent and that is OK! The best thing about price shopping on the web is that you can obtain the best rates but still work with a licensed agent.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-6.jpg" alt="Caliente Nevada auto insurance“/>
After completing this simple form, your insurance data is transmitted to agents in your area who will battle for your insurance coverage. There is no need to even leave your home since price quotes are sent to your email. Get lower rates and work with a local agent.
Selecting an insurer should depend on more than just the premium amount. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
To contact a specific insurance agent in Caliente, visit this site.
Once you have satisfactory answers to any questions you have in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an insurer that will adequately provide auto insurance. Just keep in mind policyholders can terminate your policy at any point so don’t feel that you are obligated to a policy for any length of time.
Don’t be fooled by advertising claims
Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, Geico and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. They all seem to make an identical promise that you can save after switching to their company. How does each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that makes them money. A good example of a driver they prefer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has great credit. A driver who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who do not match this ideal profile will be quoted higher prices and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That’s the way companies can claim big savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Auto insurance specifics
Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 15/30/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked.
Liability – Liability coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against claims like loss of income, legal defense fees, court costs, attorney fees and medical services. 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. Nevada state law requires minimum liability limits of 15,000/30,000/10,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.
Coverage for medical expenses – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses for EMT expenses, ambulance fees, doctor visits and X-ray expenses. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to you and your occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision coverage – This covers damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers claims like backing into a parked car, crashing into a building, hitting a parking meter, scraping a guard rail and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive auto insurance – This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like theft, a broken windshield, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and falling objects. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Shop smart and save
We just covered many ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Geico and State Farm.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to find out that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
Additional Nevada consumer information
More detailed Nevada auto insurance information is located at the Nevada Division of Insurance website. Consumers can find out industry alerts, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and discover disciplinary actions.
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