If you’ve never shopped for , you can easily be baffled of insurers all advertising big savings.
Buying car insurance in Forest Park is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. But Georgia drivers benefit from understanding the methods companies use to price insurance differently.
Cheap Forest Park car insurance rates with discounts
Some companies do not advertise their entire list of discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below contains some of the more common as well as some of the hidden discounts you could be receiving when you .
- No Charge for an Accident – but some companies like Libery Mutual, Geico and Allstate will let one accident slide before raising your premiums with the catch being you have to be claim-free for a set time period.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a family member in the military may lower your prices slightly.
- Savings for New Vehicles – Putting insurance on a new car is cheaper because new model year vehicles are generally safer.
- Auto/Life Discount – Some insurance companies give better car insurancerates if you take out some life insurance too.
- Responsible Driver Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than drivers with accident claims.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your entire bill at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can avoid the installment charge.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings up to 30%.
- Professional Memberships – Participating in a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on your next car insurance statement.
One last thing about discounts, most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So even though it sounds like it’s possible to get free car insurance, nobody gets a free ride.
Some companies who may offer some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:
When quoting, ask every company what discounts are available to you. Savings might not be available to policyholders in Forest Park. To see providers that offer discounts in Forest Park, click here.
Components of your auto insurance rates
Many factors are part of the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving record, but others are more obscure like your continuous coverage or your financial responsibility.
The factors shown below are some of the most common factors used by your company to calculate your rate level.
- Your location is a factor – Being located in less populated areas can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. City drivers have more traffic problems and more time behind the wheel. Fewer drivers on the road means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate.
- Drive fewer miles and save – The more you drive every year the higher the price you pay to insure it. A lot of companies apply a rate based on their usage. Cars and trucks left parked in the garage receive lower rates than those used for commuting. It’s always a good idea to double check that your declarations sheet is rated on the right rating data.
- Better prices on vehicles with better crash test results – Vehicles that have high safety ratings tend to have lower insurance rates. Safe vehicles reduce occupant injuries and reduced instances of injuries translates directly to fewer claims and cheaper rates on your policy. If your car scored better than an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it is probably cheaper to insure.
- Lower rates by increasing coverage deductibles – Physical damage deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Physical damage insurance, aka comp and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are a windshield broken by a bird, fire damage, and damage caused by road hazards. The larger the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the better rate you will receive.
- Liability protection is cheap – Liability insurance will provide protection when you are found liable for an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.
- Type of car determines base costs – The performance level of the car you are buying insurance for makes a substantial difference in your auto insurance rates. Low performance passenger cars usually are quite affordable to insure, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- Premiums and employer – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers such as judges, social workers and accountants are shown to have higher premiums than the average policyholder in part from intense work requirements and extremely grueling work hours. Conversely, careers like scientists, historians and retirees have lower than average premiums.
- Cheaper car insurance rates using alarms and GPS tracking – Selecting a car model with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft deterrent systems like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers help track and prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
Do you really save 40% when you switch?
State Farm, Geico and Progressive seem to constantly run ads on TV and radio. All the companies advertise claims that you can save just by moving your car insurance coverage to their company. How can each company cost less than your current company? This is the trick they use.
Most companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable risk should be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any person who matches that profile is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.
Insureds who may not quite match the ideal profile may receive a more expensive rate and this can result in the customer not buying. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save the amount stated. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the savings. That is why you really need to compare often. You cannot predict with any certainty which company will provide you with the cheapest premium rates.
Online resources for education
More tips and info about car insurance can be read at the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, get help finding coverage, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find out industry alerts.
Additional helpful sites include this link for Georgia coverage information and this page where you can research Forest Park insurance agents.
One last thing to lower rates
Insureds leave their current company for a variety of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent, denial of a claim and not issuing a premium refund. Whatever your reason, switching companies can be easier than you think.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding . You may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small mutual company.
Cost effective car insurance is possible online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should be comparing both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies may not offer rate quotes online and usually these smaller companies only sell coverage through independent agents.