Shopping for the cheapest Shelley auto insurance on the internet may be intimidating for consumers new to buying insurance online. Since there are so many companies competing online, how can anyone possibly compare the different rates to find the best pricing?
You should take the time to do rate comparisons every six months since insurance rates are usually higher with each renewal. Despite the fact that you may have had the best price six months ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is a lot of wrong information about auto insurance on the internet, so I’m going to show you some excellent ideas to buy auto insurance cheaper.
Finding the best rates in Shelley is quite easy. If you have a current auto insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you can use these tips to reduce the price you pay while maximizing coverage. Idaho drivers just need to understand the best way to compare price quotes online.
How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Shelley
Reducing your insurance rates isn’t really that difficult. Drivers just need to take time to compare quotes from different insurance companies. This can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- The first (and easiest) way to find low rates would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This method saves time by eliminating multiple quote forms for each company. Just one form will return quotes from multiple companies. It’s definitely the quickest method.
- Another way to shop for auto insurance online requires a trip to the website of each company and complete a new quote form. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want to compare rates from Allstate, Esurance and State Farm. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why most consumers use the first method.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Shelley, click here.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage limits for each price quote. If the quotes have different limits and deductibles on each one it’s not possible to make a fair comparison in Shelley.
Don’t miss these ten discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t necessarily list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so we researched some of the best known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using. If they aren’t giving you every credit you deserve, you are throwing money away.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
- E-sign – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application online.
- Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for auto insurance.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
- Accident Waiver – A few companies permit an accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Own a Home – Owning a home in Shelley may trigger a auto insurance policy discount due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child take driver’s ed class in school.
Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
To see a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in Idaho, follow this link.
More detailed Idaho auto insurance information can be found at the Idaho Department of Insurance website. Idaho drivers can view agent and company licensing information, view a list of available companies, and read consumer alerts.
Also read more on this site for rates in Idaho and this page for help finding agents in Shelley, ID.
Can you really save $488 a year?
Idaho drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you move to them.
How does each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a driver they prefer might be between 25 and 40, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will get very good rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Drivers who fall outside the requirements will be charged more money which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully make those claims. That is why you should compare as many rates as you can. It’s impossible to know which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Auto insurance coverage options
Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Liability – This will cover damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage pays for things like court costs, attorney fees, emergency aid and legal defense fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible. Idaho state law requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/50,000/15,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like X-ray expenses, nursing services, pain medications and dental work. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive auto coverage – Comprehensive insurance covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like rock chips in glass, hitting a deer, theft and vandalism. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision – Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with a tree, backing into a parked car, driving through your garage door and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits (20/50/15), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Affordable insurance is out there
When buying insurance coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many cases where someone dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
The cheapest auto insurance is possible from both online companies in addition to many Shelley insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.
Insureds switch companies for many reasons like denial of a claim, policy cancellation, unfair underwriting practices and even not issuing a premium refund. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is actually quite simple.