Finding low cost Dunedin auto insurance might be nearly impossible for beginners to online insurance quotes. When there are so many insurers to choose from, it can easily become a difficult situation to find more affordable auto insurance rates.
If you are insured now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these techniques to cut your premiums while maximizing coverage. The purpose of this article is to instruct you on how to effectively get price quotes. Florida drivers just need to understand how to compare price quotes over the internet.
Get lower-cost rates by understanding these factors
Many things are considered when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic like a motor vehicle report, although others are less apparent such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.
The following are a few of the things auto insurance companies consider when setting your premiums.
- Insurance prices are higher for high performance vehicles – The performance of the car or truck you are insuring makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. Small economy passenger vehicles usually are quite affordable to insure, but many other things help determine your insurance rates.
- Prices increase with policy add-ons – There are a ton of extra add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying auto insurance. Add-on coverages like rental car coverage, accident forgiveness, and extra equipment coverage may not be needed and are just wasting money. They may seem good at first, but your needs may have changed so get rid of them and save.
- Companies want multiple policies – Most larger companies apply a discount to clients that have more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even if you’re getting this discount you still need to compare other insurance prices to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Consumers may save even more than the discount by insuring with multiple companies.
- Higher prices for specific employers – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs such as military generals, architects and stock brokers usually pay higher premium rates in part from job stress and lengthy work days. On the other hand, professions such as actors, students and the unemployed generally pay rates lower than average.
- Discounts for married drivers – Having a wife or husband can get you a discount when shopping for auto insurance. Having a spouse means you’re more stable financially and it’s proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- What’s your car’s NHTSA crash test rating? – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Vehicles engineered for safety result in less severe injuries and fewer serious injuries translates directly to fewer claims which can mean better rates for you.
Buy Dunedin auto insurance online
All the larger auto insurance companies allow consumers to get price estimates from their websites. Getting online rates is fairly simple as you simply type in your coverage preferences into the form. After you submit the form their system automatically orders reports for credit and driving violations and gives you a price quote based on these factors.
Being able to quote online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to several different sites and fill out multiple forms can get tiresome after awhile. But it’s necessary to do this if you want to find the lowest price.
A better way to compare rates utilizes a single form that gets price quotes from several different companies. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes quoting online much easier to do. As soon as the form is sent, it gets priced and you are able to buy your choice of the pricing results.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process just takes a couple of minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
In order to compare rates now, click here and input your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you copy your coverages just like they are on your policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will receive comparison quotes using the same coverage and limits.
Ads can be misleading
Consumers can’t avoid all the ads for auto insurance savings by companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to have a common claim that drivers will save a bundle if you get a free and switch your auto insurance coverage to their company.
How does every company say the same thing? It’s all in how they say it.
Insurance companies have strict underwriting profiles for the type of driver that earns them the highest profit. For instance, a profitable customer may need to be over the age of 50, has a clean driving record, and insures a new vehicle. A driver that matches those criteria is entitled to the best price and most likely will save a lot if they switch.
Consumers who don’t measure up to these stringent criteria must pay more expensive rates and this can result in business not being written. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers who switch” not “everyone who quotes” will save that much if they switch. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims.
Because of this risk profiling, you really need to get as many as possible. Because you never know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Lower your auto insurance rates with discounts
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there may be some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Certain credits will be shown at quote time, but a few must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Larger companies have better rates if you take out a life policy as well.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed in the military could qualify you for better prices.
- Senior Citizen Discount – Seniors can possibly qualify for lower premium rates.
- ABS Braking Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Sign Online – A few larger online companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application on the web.
- Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles and insure them both with the same insurance company you may earn over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- No Claims – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims are rewarded with significantly better rates on when compared with drivers with a long claim history.
A quick disclaimer, most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
To locate companies that offer some of these discounts in Florida, follow this link.
Buying auto insurance from Dunedin insurance agencies
Some people prefer to go talk to an agent and we recommend doing that Experienced insurance agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. One of the great benefits of getting free rate quotes online is you may find better rates and still have a local agent. And providing support for local agents is important especially in Dunedin.
After filling out this quick form, the quote information is immediately sent to local insurance agents who will give competitive quotes for your coverage. You never need to find an agent on your own since price quotes are sent to you directly. In the event you want to get a rate quote from one company in particular, you just need to visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.
Dunedin car insurance agents come in two flavors
If you want local Dunedin agents, it’s helpful to know the types of agencies that you can choose from. Agents can either be independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can write auto insurance policies, but it is important to understand the difference in how they write coverage since it can impact your selection of an agent.
Independent Auto Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents can sell policies from many different companies and that gives them the ability to insure amongst many companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can just switch to a different company and you don’t have to do anything. If you are comparing rate quotes, we highly recommend that you get insurance quotes from multiple independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices. A lot of them also have access to small regional insurance companies which can save you money.
Featured below are independent insurance agents in Dunedin that may be able to give you price quote information.
- David L Cosper Insurance Inc – 1164 Belcher Rd – Dunedin, FL 34698 – (727) 733-7610
- Community Insurance – 533 Main St – Dunedin, FL 34698 – (727) 734-0886
Captive Agencies
Agents that elect to be captive generally can only insure with one company such as AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. Captives cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. These agents are trained well in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage. Consumers often choose to use a captive agent mainly due to the prominent brand name and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
Shown below are captive insurance agents in Dunedin that can give you rate quotes.
- Allstate Insurance – 2141 Main St # G – Dunedin, FL 34698 – (727) 733-8181
To choose from agencies near you, view this list of Dunedin, FL auto insurance providers.
Picking the best insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions you might want to ask.
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- Will they make sure you get an adequate claim settlement?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
Additional information can be found on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website located here. Consumers can file complaints about a company, read state legal mandates and laws, learn about insurance regulations, and learn about specific coverages.
Cheaper coverage is out there
People change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as policy non-renewal, delays in paying claims, poor customer service or even high rates after DUI convictions. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company can be less work than you think.
In this article, we covered quite a bit of information on how to save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
When you , don’t be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are many occasions where an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and learned later that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.