Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.
Big companies like State Farm, Progressive and Geico all claim big savings, bombarding you with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to ignore the promise of big savings and take the time to shop coverage around.
You should make it a habit to compare rates yearly due to the fact that insurance rates change regularly. Just because you had the best price last year there may be better deals available now. You can find a lot of wrong information about auto insurance on the web, but I’m going to show you the best ways to find affordable auto insurance.
If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Finding the best rates in Frankford is easy if you know what you’re doing. But Delaware consumers can benefit from knowing how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and take advantage of how the system works.
How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Frankford, Delaware
When shopping for auto insurance there are multiple ways to get quotes from different in Frankford, Delawareinsurance companies. The quickest method to find the lowest rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- One of the simplest ways to get quotes for comparison is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for each company you want a rate for. One quote request gets rate comparisons from many national carriers.
- A more time consuming way to find lower rates is spending the time to visit the website for every company you want to comare and complete a new quote form. For examples sake, let’s say you want to compare rates from State Farm, 21st Century and Liberty Mutual. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to insurance companies in Frankford, click here.
Whichever method you choose, ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles on every quote. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles it will be very difficult to find the best deal in Frankford. Just a small difference in coverage limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that having more price comparisons will increase your chances of finding lower pricing.
Don’t be fooled by advertising claims
Geico, State Farm and Progressive continually stream television and radio advertisements. All the companies make an identical promise that you can save after switching to their company. How does each company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a profitable customer could be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A driver who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when switching.
Consumers who don’t measure up to these standards must pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.
This illustrates why you should get as many comparisons as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
Cut your premium with these six discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags can get savings of more than 20%.
- Military Discounts – Being on active duty in the military can result in better rates.
- Driver Safety – Taking part in a defensive driving course could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
It’s important to note that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down the cost of coverage.
What is the best insurance coverage?
When it comes to choosing coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every situation is different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you will benefit from professional help.
- Should I buy more coverage than the required Delaware minimum liability coverage?
- Does my vehicle need full coverage?
- Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Delaware?
- Do I need rental car coverage?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Car insurance coverages
Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (15/30/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Liability insurance
This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 50/100/50 that translate to a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for things such as repair costs for stationary objects, emergency aid, loss of income and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Delaware state minimum liability requirements are 15,000/30,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.
Medical expense coverage
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for expenses such as pain medications, X-ray expenses and chiropractic care. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive protection
This coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like theft, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Coverage for collisions
This coverage covers damage to your vehicle from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims like hitting a parking meter, sustaining damage from a pot hole and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Much more information about auto insurance in Delaware is available on the website for the Delaware Department of Insurance found here. Consumers can learn about specific coverages, read industry bulletins, learn about insurance regulations, and download brochures.
Other informative sites include this site for rates in Delaware and this page where you can research Frankford insurance agents.
Best coverage at the best price
We covered some good ideas how you can compare auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Smaller companies often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
Discount auto insurance is available online as well as from independent agents in Frankford, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection. A few companies don’t offer online quoting and these smaller companies work with independent agents.