Did a good deal turn out to be an expensive auto insurance policy? Say no more because there are lots of Talent residents who feel the same. Many car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurance company and uncover the absolute best price available.
It is always a good idea to price shop coverage before your policy renews because rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. If you had the lowest rate a year ago you will most likely find a better price today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the only way to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.
If you have a current auto insurance policy or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Finding the best rates in Talent is easy if you know what you’re doing. Oregon consumers just need to learn how to shop online.
How to lower your auto insurance costs
Many things are part of the equation when pricing auto insurance. A few of the factors are predictable like your driving record, but others are more transparent such as your marital status and annual miles driven. Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning some of the things that are used to determine your policy premiums. If you know what influences your rates, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in lower rates.
The itemized list below are just a few of the factors used by insurance companies to determine your premiums.
- Youthful vs. older drivers – Drivers with little experience tend to be inattentive and easily distracted when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher. Mature drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents .
- Use but don’t abuse your insurance – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can look forward to either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance companies in Oregon provide most affordable rates to policyholders that do not abuse their auto insurance. Insurance coverage is intended for larger claims.
- Which gender costs less? – Over time, data shows females are less aggressive when driving. However, don’t assume that women are BETTER drivers than men. Females and males cause auto accidents in similar percentages, but males tend to have higher claims. Men also tend to get ticketed for serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Males from age 16 to 21 are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- Certain jobs raise rates – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Careers like doctorspolice officers and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates due to stressful work requirements and incredibly demanding work hours. Conversely, occupations such as scientists, athletes and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
Take advantage of every auto insurance discount
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but there could be significant discounts that many people don’t even know exist. A few discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked about before you will receive the discount.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for reduced rates.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured – Buying insurance for several vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Defensive Driving Course – Participating in a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- Club Memberships – Being in a civic or occupational organization in Talent could qualify you for a break on your next renewal.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – Have your child take driver’s ed class in school or through a local driver safety program.
- Military Deployment Discount – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
- Drive Less and Save – Low annual miles could earn cheaper premium rates.
- Theft Deterent System – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and can earn a small discount on your policy.
- Discount for New Cars – Buying auto insurance coverage on a new vehicle may earn a small discount compared to insuring an older model.
- No Claim Discounts – Talent drivers who stay claim-free can save substantially as opposed to drivers who are more careless.
A little disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
A list of companies and the discounts they provide include:
- State Farm may include discounts for good driver, defensive driving training, anti-theft, driver’s education, passive restraint, and multiple autos.
- Geico policyholders can earn discounts including federal employee, anti-lock brakes, five-year accident-free, multi-vehicle, seat belt use, defensive driver, and military active duty.
- SAFECO has discounts for safe driver, drive less, bundle discounts, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, and teen safe driver.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including distant student, electronic funds transfer, teen driver, pay in full, and alternative fuel.
- AAA discounts include AAA membership discount, pay-in-full, multi-policy, anti-theft, good student, and good driver.
- USAA has savings for multi-vehicle, good student, family discount, driver training, multi-policy, vehicle storage, and military installation.
Double check with every company to give you their best rates. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be offered in your area. To find insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Talent, click here.
Insurance agents can help
Some consumers still like to talk to an insurance agent and that can be a great decision Most agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is the fact that you can find better rates and still have a local agent.
After completing this quick form, your insurance data is transmitted to local insurance agents who will return price quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to do any legwork due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. If you need to get a rate quote from a particular provider, just navigate to their website and submit a quote form there.
Choosing an provider shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any good agent should know the answers to these questions.
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Will they take your side in the event of a claim?
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
How to choose the best car insurance agent in Talent
If you are wanting to find a reputable agency, it helps to know the two different agency structures and how they are slightly different. Auto insurance policy providers can be categorized as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both provide auto insurance policies, but it is important to understand the difference in the companies they write for because it may have an impact on the kind of agent you use.
Captive Auto Insurance Agents
Captive insurance agents write business for a single company such as Allstate, AAA, Farmers Insurance, and State Farm. Captive agents cannot place coverage with different providers so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. Captive insurance agents receive a lot of sales training on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be independent can sell policies from many different companies so they have the ability to put coverage through lots of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If they find a cheaper price, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency. When comparing rate quotes, it’s a good idea to get quotes from a couple of independent agencies to maximize your price options.
The following is a list of independent agents in Talent willing to provide comparison quotes.
Talent Insurance – 301 E Wagner St – Talent, OR 97540 – (541) 535-5565
To view additional auto insurance agents in Talent, view this list of Talent Oregon auto insurance agencies.
Even more information can be read at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Oregon consumers can read industry bulletins, read consumer alerts, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
Persistent drivers can save
More affordable auto insurance can be bought online and also from your neighborhood Talent agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best rate selection. Some companies may not have rate quotes online and most of the time these smaller providers only sell through independent agents.
We just presented many tips how you can compare auto insurance car insurance rates online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the best car insurance rates are with a small local company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like Progressive or Geico.
When you , it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are too many instances where an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price, but do not skimp to save money.