Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your savings account and put a big crunch on your finances. Comparison shopping is a smart way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.
You have multiple insurers to pick from, and though it is a good thing to be able to choose, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates and find the lowest cost auto insurance.
You should take the time to compare prices every six months since insurance rates are usually higher with each renewal. Just because you had the best deal six months ago you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate how to use the internet to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
Buying car insurance in Plymouth is not rocket science. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to save some money using these methods. Although Massachusetts consumers do need to learn the methods companies use to determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.
Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
The following are a partial list of the pieces that factor into your rates.
- Cautious drivers pay less – Only having one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Careful drivers get better rates than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers with severe tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Where you live – Being located in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when talking about auto insurance. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accidents. Drivers who live in large Massachusetts cities have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. More time commuting means higher likelihood of an accident.
- What type of vehicle do you drive? – The performance of the car you own makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. Lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Rates may be lower depending on your job – Careers like lawyers, social workers and financial analysts tend to pay higher average rates due to job stress and long work hours. Conversely, occupations like actors, engineers and retirees have the lowest average rates.
- Special features that cut premiums – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder auto theft.
- Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are quite a few additional coverages that you can buy if you aren’t careful. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and term life insurance are examples of these. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
- With age comes lower rates – Older insureds tend to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Young drivers tend to be more careless when behind the wheel and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
Plymouth Auto Insurance Prices Online
Most major insurance companies allow you to get prices for coverage directly from their websites. The process is quite easy as you just enter the coverage amounts you desire into a form. After you complete the form, the company’s rating system gets credit information and your driving record and returns a price. This streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to multiple sites and fill out multiple forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it is imperative to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find better auto insurance pricing.
An easier way to lower your auto insurance bill requires only one form to obtain quotes from many companies. It saves time, reduces the work, and makes online quotes much simpler. Once the form is submitted, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick any of the price quotes you receive. If you find a better price you simply finish the application and buy the policy. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now, click here to open in a new tab and complete the simple form. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you duplicate the insurance coverages as close as possible to your current policy. This way, you will receive a fair comparison based on identical coverages.
Do drivers who switch really save $462 a year?
State Farm, Geico and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim of big savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has a high credit rating. Any driver who matches those parameters will get very good rates and most likely will save a lot of money.
Drivers who don’t meet these standards will be charged a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way insurance companies can advertise the way they do. That is why drivers should compare many company’s rates. Because you never know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Companies don’t always publicize every available discount very clearly, so we researched some of the best known and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance.
- Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Clubs and Organizations – Affiliation with certain professional organizations could trigger savings on auto insurance.
- College Student – Kids in college who live away from home and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Homeowners Discount – Owning a house in Plymouth may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
- Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles can earn a substantially lower rate.
- Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less compared to accident-prone drivers.
- Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Drivers Education – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, you won’t be that lucky.
More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website. Visitors are able to download brochures, find a variety of consumer forms, and get help finding coverage.
The following information may also be useful.
Affordable insurance is out there
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where someone dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.
You just read many ways to compare auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.