People who are new to comparing rates online will discover purchasing the lowest-priced Darien auto insurance quite challenging.
If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Pricing the cheapest coverage in Darien is not that difficult. Connecticut consumers just need to know the most effective way to get comparison rates on the web.
Don’t miss these discounts
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for prior to receiving the credit. If they aren’t giving you every credit you deserve, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accident claims.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- Paperwork-free – A few companies give back up to $50 just for signing your application online.
- Good Students Pay Less – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
- Driver’s Ed – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
- Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
What determines how much you pay?
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.
- Too many auto insurance claims drive up costs – Insurance companies in Connecticut award cheaper rates to people who are claim-free. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Jobs such as judges, architects and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average because of high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, occupations like actors, athletes and the unemployed pay the least.
- Performance level impacts rates – The make and model of the car you own makes a huge difference in your rates. The lowest base rates tend to be for small economy passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- The more you drive the more you pay – The more miles you rack up on your car each year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Most insurance companies apply a rate determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than those used for commuting. Make sure your auto insurance policy is showing how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.
- A clean driving record saves money – Only having one citation may increase your cost by twenty percent. Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Your spouse saves you money – Being married can get you a discount on auto insurance. Having a significant other translates into being more mature than a single person and it’s proven that being married results in fewer claims.
When might I need help?
When it comes to buying coverage, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is unique.
Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.
- What is the minimum liability in Connecticut?
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
- What are Connecticut no-fault laws?
- Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Darien?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
- Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Don’t be fooled by advertising claims
Connecticut drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance by Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim that you’ll save big if you move to their company.
How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential customers who do not match the requirements will have to pay higher premiums which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. This is how companies can make those claims.
Because of the profiling, drivers must get as many quotes as possible. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
More information is available on the Connecticut Insurance Department website located here. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find out which companies have the most complaints, and discover disciplinary actions.
Other useful links include QuoteClickInsure.com and CarInsuranceDIY.com.
Do the work, save more money
Affordable auto insurance can be purchased from both online companies and with local Darien insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
We just presented a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest premiums are with an unexpected company.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price.