Purchasing affordable Independence car insurance online might seem intimidating for consumers that are relatively new to comparison shopping on the web. With so many companies, how can consumers be able to compare each option to find better car insurance prices?
Buying car insurance in Independence is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Oregon drivers just need to understand the most effective way to find the lowest price online.
Seven factors that affect insurance premiums
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that can help you get cheaper rates.
The list below includes a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate your rates.
- Your credit rating is important – Credit score is likely to be a major factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Therefore, if your credit rating could use some work, you could pay less to insure your vehicle if you improve your credit rating. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to file fewer claims than drivers who have poor credit.
- Cautious drivers pay better premiums – Being a careful driver has a huge affect on how much you pay. Even a single chargable violation may cause rates to rise by as much as twenty percent. Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who have gotten serious citations like DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Never let your car insurance expire – Going without insurance is a guaranteed way to drive up your policy premiums. Not only will rates go up, the inability to provide proof of insurance might get you fines and jail time. You may then be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Oregon motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
- Small coverages can add up – Insurance policies have a lot of extra coverages that can add up but may not be useful. Add-on coverages like vanishing deductibles, death and dismemberment, and Farm Bureau memberships may not be needed and are just wasting money. These coverages may sound good initially, but if you’ve never needed them in the past remove them and pocket the money.
- Insurance prices and vehicle performance – The make and model of the vehicle you are insuring makes a significant difference in your rates. Lower cost passenger cars usually have the lowest rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- More than one policy can earn a discount – Lots of car insurance companies allow better rates to policyholders who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, drivers will still want to compare rates to verify if the discount is saving money.
- Teenagers vs. experienced drivers – Drivers with little experience tend to be more careless when at the wheel of a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher. Older people are shown to be more cautious, file fewer claims and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.
Get affordable rates with discounts
Car insurance companies do not list all their discounts very well, so the following list contains a few of the more well known in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to bring down your rates.
- College Student – Kids who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Paper-free Discount – A few larger online companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing on the web.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Drivers who insure more than one vehicle on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a vehicle that is new can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for newer models.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being on active duty in the military can result in better prices.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags or motorized seat belts may get savings as much as 30%.
- No Accidents – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less in comparison to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
Discounts lower rates, but many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Larger car insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are included below.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include distant student, bundle discounts, multi-car, mature driver, youthful driver, and pay in full.
- State Farm discounts include multiple policy, good student, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, and student away at school.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for safety features, new graduate, newly married, hybrid vehicle, preferred payment discount, and newly retired.
- MetLife has discounts for claim-free, multi-policy, good student, defensive driver, and good driver.
- Progressive may offer discounts for good student, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and online signing.
When getting , it’s a good idea to each insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered in your area. To locate car insurance companies who offer free car insurance quotes in Independence, click here to view.
Will you really save $388 on car insurance?
Oregon drivers constantly see and hear ads for cheaper car insurance by Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to seem to make the promise about savings just by switching your car insurance policy to them.
How is it possible that every company can make almost identical claims? It’s all in how they say it.
All companies look for specific characteristics for the type of driver that will be a good risk. For instance, a desirable risk should be between 30 and 50, has other policies, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. Any new insured who fits that profile will probably get cheap auto insurance rates as well as save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential insureds who do not meet this ideal profile will be charged higher premiums and business going elsewhere. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That is how companies can truthfully make claims like that. This really illustrates why you should quotes as often as possible. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Some additional reading
Additional detailed information is available at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Oregon consumers can learn about insurance regulations, download brochures, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find a variety of consumer forms.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Independence
- Free Guide to Cutting Costs on Independence Missouri Car Insurance Online
- Compare Auto Insurance Pricing From Independence, MO Insurance Agencies
- Learn the Secrets to Paying Less for Independence, KY Car Insurance
Quote more, save more
You just read many ideas to save on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest auto insurance rates are with an unexpected company.
Insureds leave their current company for a variety of reasons including poor customer service, being labeled a high risk driver, high rates after DUI convictions or even unfair underwriting practices. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new company can be easier than you think.
Cheaper car insurance can be purchased on the web and with local Independence insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online rate quotes and these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agencies.