Finding affordable Muscatine car insurance is always a challenge for consumers new to buying insurance online. You have so many options available that it can quickly become a real challenge to compare prices in Muscatine.
How to Compare Car Insurance in Muscatine
Reducing your insurance rates can be quick and easy. You just have to take time to get quotes from different insurance companies. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This method prevents you from having to do repetitive form entry to each individual car insurance company. One simple form will get you price quotes .It’s the quickest way to get rates.
- A harder way to compare rate quotes is to manually visit the website of each company and request a quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Farmers, Progressive and State Farm. To find out each rate you need to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker.
To view a list of companies in Muscatine, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make sure you use the exact same coverages for every company. If you are comparing unequal deductibles or liability limits you can’t possibly truly determine the lowest rate in Muscatine.
Take advantage of discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always publicize all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down both the well known and the harder-to-find car insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are paying more than you should be.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags can get savings up to 30%.
- Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
- Payment Method – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
- Good Student – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
- Clubs and Organizations – Affiliation with certain professional organizations may earn a discount on car insurance.
- Discount for New Cars – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To see a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in Muscatine, click here.
How insurance companies determine rates
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better car insurance rates.
The list below includes some of the items used by your company to calculate premiums.
- Do you know your deductibles? – Deductibles for physical damage define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, insures against damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and windstorm damage. The more money you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
- Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Many insurers will give a discount to people who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even with this discount, it’s in your best interest to compare other company rates to ensure the best deal.
- Marriage brings a discount – Having a spouse can actually save you money on car insurance. Having a spouse means you’re more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that drivers who are married are more cautious.
- Careful drivers pay lower rates – Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Just one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Careful drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who have flagrant citations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
- Lower rates with optional equipment – Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can thwart your car from being stolen.
- Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupations like doctors, architects and dentists tend to have the highest average rates attributed to job stress and lots of time spent at work. Other professions such as farmers, historians and performers receive lower rates.
- Your age impacts your rates – Older drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel. Teenage drivers tend to be less responsible behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
- Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are many add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Things like rental car reimbursement, accidental death and term life insurance are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment at first, but if they’re wasting money remove them from your policy.
How can Allstate, Geico and Progressive save drivers who switch?
Iowa drivers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the companies make the same claim that you can save if you change your policy.
How can each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.
Potential customers who don’t meet the requirements must pay higher rates which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. This is how companies can state the savings. This illustrates why you should get as many comparisons as possible. It is impossible to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
A little work can save a LOT of money
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Consumers who switch companies do it for many reasons like an unsatisfactory settlement offer, high prices, lack of trust in their agent and delays in paying claims. Whatever your reason, finding a new company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
Low-cost car insurance can be bought online in addition to many Muscatine insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
Read more about Iowa car insurance
Even more information can be found at the Iowa Insurance Division website. Consumers can find out industry alerts, discover disciplinary actions, and read consumer alerts.