Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can draw down your budget and force you to cut corners elsewhere. Doing a rate analysis is free and is an excellent way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
You have multiple car insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, too many choices makes it more difficult to adequately compare rates.
When shopping for , there are a couple of ways to obtain and compare prices from car insurance companies in your area. The quickest method to compare rates is to perform an online rate comparison. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- The fastest way to get the best comparison quotes is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This quick form saves time by eliminating separate quotes for each company. Filling out one form gets you coverage quotes instantly.
- A more difficult way to analyze rates consists of going to the website of each company and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want to get rates from Geico, Progressive and GMAC. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which can get rather old.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Norwalk, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just compare equivalent coverages for each comparison quote. If you have unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be nearly impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Norwalk. Just slight variations in limits can make a big difference in price. And when quoting car insurance, remember that comparing more company’s prices helps locate the best price.
Use discounts on California car insurance
Some insurers don’t always list all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below details a few of the more well known as well as some of the hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you .
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like Allstate and State Farm will allow you to have one accident without raising rates so long as you haven’t had any claims before the accident.
- Smart Student Discounts – Being a good student may save you up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
- Senior Citizens – Seniors can get a small discount on rates.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
- Switch and Save Discount – A few larger companies allow discounts for renewing your policy prior to your current policy expiration. The savings is around 10%.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars and trucks with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and that can save you a little bit as well.
A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
Insurance companies that may have these discounts are:
Before you buy a policy, ask every insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. Some discounts listed above may not be available in Norwalk. To choose providers that offer many of these discounts in Norwalk, click this link.
Tailor your car insurance coverage to you
When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions may help highlight whether or not you will benefit from professional help.
- Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
- Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
- What are the best liability limits?
- What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in California?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
How your Norwalk prices are determined
The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at some of the things that are used to determine car insurance rates. If you know what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with better car insurance rates.
The itemized list below are a few of the “ingredients” utilized by car insurance companies to help set prices.
- Comp and collision deductibles are a factor – Physical damage deductibles tell how much you are required to pay if you file a covered claim. Protection for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims are collision with another vehicle, animal collisions, and having a roll-over accident. The more money you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Premiums increase with driving tickets – Only having one moving violation can increase rates substantially. Good drivers have lower premiums as compared to careless drivers. Drivers who have severe tickets like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding might be required by their state to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
- Guys pay higher prices – Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. The data does not necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Both genders cause accidents in similar percentages, but males have costlier accidents. Men also statistically receive more major tickets such as DWI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers generally have the highest accident percentage and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
- A good credit score can save money – Your credit score is a large factor in determining premium rates. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with poor credit scores. If your credit score leaves room for improvement, you could potentially save money when insuring your vehicle by spending a little time repairing your credit.
Can you really save if you switch?
21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the ads make an identical promise about how much you will save after switching your policy. That’s great but how can every company claim to save you money? It’s all in the wording.
Insurance providers have underwriting criteria for the type of driver that will most likely be profitable. An example of a desirable risk could possibly be over age 30, has no claims, and has great credit. Any new insured who meets those qualifications receive the lowest rate quotes and most likely will cut their rates substantially.
Potential customers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile will have to pay higher rates which results in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” can get the lowest rates when switching. That’s the way companies can truthfully make claims that they all have the best prices. Each company has different criteria, so you really need to compare many company’s prices. It is impossible to predict the company that will give you lower premium rates than your current company.
A little work can save a LOT of money
When buying insurance coverage, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost.
You just learned a lot of ways to shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get prices for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. They can often provide lower prices in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the California Department of Insurance website. California consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, learn about specific coverages, and find out industry alerts.
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