Are you a victim of high-priced car insurance? Trust us when we tell you you’re not the only one. Online insurance companies like Geico, 21st Century and Progressive constantly bombard you with fancy advertisements and it is difficult to see through the deception and do the work needed to find the best deal.
If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Finding affordable coverage in Covington is not rocket science. Kentucky drivers only need to know the most efficient way to buy car insurance on the web.
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both the well known and the harder-to-find ways to save on car insurance. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Student Driver Training – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.
- Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies give back up to $50 simply for signing on their website.
- New Vehicle Savings – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new cars.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Senior Citizens – Older drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.
- Club Memberships – Participating in a qualifying organization may earn a discount on your policy.
- Military Rewards – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
- Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company qualifies for this discount.
- Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck.
Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Covington, Kentucky
All the larger car insurance companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm provide price estimates on their websites. This process doesn’t take a lot of time as you simply enter into a form. Behind the scenes, their rating system will obtain your credit score and driving record and gives you a price quote based on these factors. Quoting online simplifies rate comparisons, but the time required to go to each company’s website and repetitively complete many quote forms can get tiresome after awhile. But it’s very important to have as many quotes as possible in order to find the lowest price.
There is a better way to compare rates
The easiest way to locate the lowest prices uses one simple form that gets prices from more than one company. The form is fast, reduces the work, and makes price shopping online much easier to do. After your information is entered, it gets priced and you can select any one of the quotes that you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and can result in significant savings.
If you want to use this form to compare rates, simply click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you copy deductibles and limits identical to your current policy. This helps ensure you will be getting a price comparison for exact coverage.
Insurance agents can help
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions may help you determine whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
- Does my vehicle qualify for pleasure use?
- What discounts do I qualify for?
- Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
- Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
- Do no-fault laws apply in Kentucky?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, free and can provide invaluable advice.
Your insurance agent down the street
A small number of people prefer to sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Good agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help in the event of a claim. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is you may find the best rates but also keep your business local.
By using this short form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to companies in Covington who will battle for your coverage. You never need to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered straight to your inbox.
Choosing an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Kentucky?
Types of auto insurance agents in Covington
When researching a good Covington insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents to choose from. Agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). While both can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know how they differ because it can impact the selection process.
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents can only write with one company such as American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They are unable to shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agents are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents.
Below is a list of captive insurance agencies in Covington that can give you rate quotes.
Shelter Insurance – 2372 Grandview Dr – Covington, KY 41017 – (859) 341-5859
Allstate Insurance – 1671 Park Rd # 10 – Covington, KY 41011 – (859) 344-8588
State Farm Insurance – 2527 Dixie Hwy – Covington, KY 41017 – (859) 331-9800
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies and that require little work on your part. When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to get quotes from at least one independent agent to have the most options to choose from.
Shown below is a short list of independent insurance agents in Covington that can give you rate quotes.
Sherrill D Morgan Agency Inc – 525 W 5th St # 310 – Covington, KY 41011 – (859) 291-6600
Fulcher Rankin Insurance Inc – 350 Buttermilk Pike – Covington, KY 41017 – (859) 331-3550
E N Dornbusch Insurance – 211 Grandview Dr # 207 – Covington, KY 41017 – (859) 331-4404
For a full directory of Covington insurance agents, visit this site.
Upon getting reasonable responses to your questions and an affordable coverage quote, you’ve probably found an insurance agency that will adequately provide car insurance. Just keep in mind you can always cancel a policy for any reason so never feel you’re contractually obligated to any particular company for the full term.
Ads can be misleading
Kentucky drivers constantly see and hear ads for cheaper car insurance by 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. They all make an identical promise about savings after switching to their company.
But how can every company say the same thing?
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk could possibly be over the age of 40, has no driving citations, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured who fits that profile receives the best rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.
Drivers who fall outside this ideal profile will be quoted higher premiums and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully make those claims. This emphasizes why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.
Car insurance specifics
Learning about specific coverages of car insurance helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the usual coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Collision insurance
This covers damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers things such as driving through your garage door, colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a building and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Liability coverages
This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 that translate to a limit of $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as medical services, bail bonds, court costs and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Kentucky state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.
Comprehensive protection
This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like rock chips in glass, hitting a deer, hail damage, a broken windshield and hitting a bird. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Medical expense coverage
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for immediate expenses like funeral costs, hospital visits, doctor visits, dental work and X-ray expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Keep this in mind
In this article, we presented a lot of tips how to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as Geico and State Farm.
Cheap car insurance is attainable both online and also from your neighborhood Covington agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide online quoting and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
More detailed Kentucky car insurance information is located at the Kentucky Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to discover disciplinary actions, find out which companies have the most complaints, download brochures, and find out industry alerts.
Additional helpful sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this resource to find Covington, KY insurance agents.