Feeling guilty for buying an expensive auto insurance policy? It’s quite common and many consumers are feeling buyer’s remorse and feel like there’s no way out. Big-name insurance companies like Geico and Progressive continually hit you with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and find the best price available.
Verify you’re receiving every discount
Some insurance providers don’t list their entire list of discounts very well, so here is a list some of the more common as well as some of the hidden credits available to you.
- Driver Safety – Completing a course that instructs on driving safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with ABS and/or traction control can avoid accidents and the ABS can save up to 10%.
- Cautious Driver Discounts – Drivers without accidents may save up to 50% more than drivers with accident claims.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% but check with your company.
- Professional Memberships – Being a member of qualifying employment or professional organizations could trigger savings on your policy.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the medical payments premium.
Keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But all discounts will help reduce the premium cost.
Car insurance companies that may offer policyholders most of these discounts possibly include:
Double check with every company which discounts you qualify for. Some credits may not be offered in your state. If you would like to choose from a list of insurers who offer discounts in Kent, follow this link.
Shop auto insurance online
Many insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive give price estimates on the web. Doing online price comparisons is easy for anyone because you just enter your coverage information on the page. Once entered, their system makes automated requests for information on your driving record and credit history and quotes a price based on the information you submitted. Online quotes makes it easy to compare insurance prices but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s necessary to do this if you want to get a better rate.
Keep reading for an easier way to compare prices
An easier way to find lower prices makes use of a single form to get prices from many companies. It’s a real time-saver, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online quotes much simpler. As soon as the form is sent, your coverage is rated and you can select any or none of the price quotes you receive.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. It just takes a couple of minutes and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
To save time and get comparison pricing now, simply click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you complete the form with identical to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will get comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.
Auto insurance is available from local agents
Many people would rather go talk to an agent and doing that can be a smart decision The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is you may find cheap auto insurance rates and also buy local. Buying from and supporting local agencies is especially important in Kent.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), your coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in Kent who will gladly provide quotes for your business. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to contact an agency since rate quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. You can find the lowest rates and work with a local agent. If you need to compare prices for a specific company, you just need to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Types of auto insurance agents
When finding a good insurance agency, it’s helpful to know the types of insurance agents and how they operate. Auto insurance policy providers are classified as either captive or independent.
Independent Auto Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agencies are not limited to a single company so they can insure your vehicles with an assortment of companies and find you the best rates. If premiums increase, they simply move your policy to a different company and you don’t have to do anything.
When comparing auto insurance rates, it’s recommended you contact multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
The following is a small list of independent insurance agencies in Kent who may provide rate quotes.
Jesse Huah Agency – 184 Currie Hall Pkwy # 5 – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 678-5111
Hall-Green Agency Inc – 146 N Depeyster St – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 673-5873
Johnson Agency – 6171 Cherry Hollow Ln – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 673-0053
David M Coleman Insurance Inc – 126 W College St – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 673-0485
Paul Naujoks Insurance – 1640 Franklin Ave # 10 – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 673-8139
Captive Auto Insurance Agencies
Captive agencies work for only one company and some examples include Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, and AAA. They are unable to give you multiple price quotes so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agents receive a lot of sales training in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.
The following is a short list of captive insurance agencies in Kent that are able to give price quotes.
American Family Insurance – 4123 State Route 43 – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 673-8888
Allstate Insurance Co – 1221 S Water St – Kent, OH 44240 – (330) 677-4376
To see available agents near you, visit this list of Kent Ohio insurance agents.
Picking an car insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap price quote. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in Ohio?
- Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- Is there a Errors and Omissions policy in force?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
Truth in auto insurance advertising
Auto insurance providers like Allstate and Progressive regularly use ads on television and other media. All the companies advertise the message that drivers will save a bundle just by switching to them. How do they all charge lower premium rates? It’s all in the wording.
Companies have an ideal profile for the type of customer that earns them the most money. A good example of this type of insured may be over the age of 35, has never had a policy lapse, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. Anybody that hits that “sweet spot” receives the best car insurance rates and have a good chance to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential insureds who fall outside those criteria may receive higher premiums and the customer buying from a different company. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way companies can truthfully claim big savings.
Because every company is different, it is so important to compare as many as you can. It’s not possible to predict the company that will have the best rates.
Auto insurance policy specifics
Knowing the specifics of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Auto insurance terms can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find the usual coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as falling objects, hitting a deer and theft. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability coverages – Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people 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 commonly see limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against things such as court costs, bail bonds, pain and suffering and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but buy higher limits if possible. Ohio requires drivers to carry at least 12,500/25,000/7,500 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.
Since many Ohio drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (12,500/25/7,500 in Ohio), their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Insurance for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for things like X-ray expenses, hospital visits, funeral costs, EMT expenses and rehabilitation expenses. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision coverage – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, backing into a parked car, rolling your car, scraping a guard rail and hitting a mailbox. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Persistent drivers can save
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to lower your auto insurance car insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding . You may even discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Budget-friendly auto insurance is possible both online in addition to many Kent insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some companies may not have online price quotes and usually these smaller providers work with local independent agencies.
Additional Ohio car insurance resources
Additional auto insurance information can be read on the found here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and download brochures.
More related Kent auto insurance information: