Are you a victim of an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you there are many people just like you.
Insurance companies such as Progressive, State Farm and Geico continually hit you with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.
Understand what determines the rate you pay
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine your auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.
The following are a few of the “ingredients” that factor into prices.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Insurance for personal injury protection, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem good initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Safer cars can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries translates into savings for insurance companies passed on to you as lower rates.
- Bundling policies can get discounts – Most insurance companies give discounts to insureds who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can amount to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, you may still want to compare other company rates to ensure the best deal.
- Keep rates low by being claim-free – Insurance companies in North Dakota award better rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
- Having a spouse can save you money – Having a wife or husband can get you a discount on your policy. It usually means you are more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
- Do you know you’re credit rating? – Your credit score is a important factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. So if your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your rating. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with poor credit.
- Careful drivers pay lower rates – Your driving citation history has a huge affect on how much you pay. Careful drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Only having one ticket can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Drivers who have flagrant citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
Stanley Auto Insurance Prices Online
When shopping for auto insurance there are multiple ways of comparing rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. One of the best ways to find the cheapest insurance rates is simply to get online rate quotes. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.
- The fastest way consumers can make multiple comparisons is an all-inclusive rate comparison click here to open form in new window. This form prevents you from having to do separate quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form will get you rate comparisons from multiple low-cost companies.
- A more difficult way to obtain and compare quotes online requires a trip to the website for each individual company and fill out their own quote form. For example, we’ll assume you want comparison quotes from Progressive, Liberty Mutual and GMAC. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker. To view a list of companies in Stanley, click here.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples coverages and limits with each company. If the quotes have higher or lower deductibles you can’t possibly truly determine the lowest rate in Stanley. Just a small difference in insurance coverages may cause a big price difference. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that having more price comparisons will enable you to find the best price.
Is there deception in advertising?
Auto insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and Geico constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. They all make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you switch your policy. How does each company make almost identical claims?
All companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a preferred risk might be profiled as a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has a high credit rating. Any driver who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.
Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements will be quoted higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way companies can make those claims.
This emphasizes why you should get quotes from several different companies. It’s impossible to know the company that will give you the biggest savings.
You probably qualify for some discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be inquired about in order for you to get them.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more depending on where you live.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
- Use Seat Belts – Requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Paperwork-free – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy digitally online.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in Stanley may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
- Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with a few auto insurance companies.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Accident Forgiveness – A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can get savings up to 30%.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will cut your overall premium however.
For a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in Stanley, click this link.
More information is available on the website for the North Dakota Insurance Department. Click here for link. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and read industry bulletins.
Summing up your auto insurance search
You just learned some good ideas how you can lower your auto insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the least-expected company. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Cheap auto insurance can be purchased both online and also from your neighborhood Stanley agents, so you should compare both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.