Comparing Gretna car insurance rates online can be difficult if you’ve never compared online quoting. But don’t be discouraged because we’re going to show you how.
It’s a good habit to do rate comparisons before your policy renews because prices tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal a year ago you can probably find a better price now. So forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I’m going to teach you one of the easiest ways to save on car insurance.
How to Get Car Insurance in Gretna, Louisiana
There are a variety of methods to compare car insurance quotes, and some are more efficient than others. You can waste a lot of time talking to agents in Gretna, or you can utilize the web to get the quickest rates.
Most of the best insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and each participating company then gives them pricing based on that data. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for.
To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.
The one disadvantage to using this type of system is you can’t choose the providers to get pricing from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to compare, we have assembled a list of companies who write car insurance in Louisiana. View list of Louisiana insurance companies.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you are comparing exactly the same quote information with each company. If you have different values for each quote it will be impossible to determine the lowest rate in Gretna.
Discounts can save BIG
Car insurance companies don’t list every discount very well, so here is a list some of the best known and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance. If you don’t get every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Multi-car Discount – Having more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts as compared to frequent claim filers.
- Bundle and Save – If you have multiple policies with one insurance company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
- Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
Car insurance 101
Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Liability coverages – This protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle 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 liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for a limit of $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers things such as medical expenses, loss of income, emergency aid and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Louisiana state law requires minimum liability limits of 15,000/30,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.
Collision – This will pay to fix damage to your vehicle from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims like driving through your garage door, scraping a guard rail and colliding with another moving vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Coverage for medical expenses – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for short-term medical expenses such as X-ray expenses, doctor visits, rehabilitation expenses and dental work. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many Louisiana drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Louisiana limits are 15/30/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Comprehensive car insurance – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things like damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a bird, fire damage and rock chips in glass. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
A little work can save a LOT of money
Discount car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Gretna agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some car insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
In this article, we presented a lot of information how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with a smaller regional carrier.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.
More detailed Louisiana car insurance information can be read at the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, learn about specific coverages, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
Other informative sites include III.org’s auto insurance page and this page where you can research Gretna insurance agents.