Overpriced car insurance can drain your savings account and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping is a great way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. You have so many car insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, having more insurance companies makes it harder to get the best deal.
It’s a great practice to check car insurance prices periodically because rates change quite often. Just because you found the best rates two years ago you may be paying too much now. There is a lot of bad information regarding car insurance on the internet, so by reading this article, you’re going to learn some of the best ways to slash your car insurance rates.
Discounts are basically free money
Car insurance is not cheap, but there could be available discounts to help offset the cost. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but a few must be manually applied before you will receive the discount. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you are throwing money away.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- New Car Discount – Insuring a new car is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings up to 30%.
- College Student – Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
Keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will reduce your premiums.
Your personal situation dictates your coverage
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from professional advice.
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
- Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.
Are insurance agents a thing of the past?
Some consumers would prefer to get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Educated insurance agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for small agencies is especially important in Harrison.
Once you complete this form (opens in new window), the quote information is submitted to companies in Harrison who will compete for your coverage. There is no reason to drive around as quotes are delivered straight to your inbox. How cool is that?!
Two types of Harrison insurance agencies
When finding a reliable agent, you need to know there are two different agency structures that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in Harrison can either be captive or independent. Either one can do a good job, but it’s important to know the differences because it can impact buying decisions.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparing rates, we recommend you include at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection.
Agency Captives
Captive agents write business for a single company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.
Deciding on an insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
- How are claims handled?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
After receiving positive feedback for all questions you ask and an affordable coverage quote, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that can adequately provide car insurance.
Additional information can be found on the website for the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance through this link. New Jersey consumers can learn about specific coverages, find a variety of consumer forms, and discover disciplinary actions.
The following articles may also be useful.
- Learn How to Cut Costs on Harrisonburg, VA Auto Insurance
- Costing Too Much for Car Insurance in Harrisonburg? Heres How to Save!
Do the work, save more money
Lower-priced car insurance can be sourced online in addition to many Harrison insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many cases where someone dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.