If you’re looking for lower-cost insurance, do you get overwhelmed by the crazy number of auto insurance providers that you can choose from? Lot’s of other drivers are too. Consumers have so many choices that it can really be a real hassle to locate the lowest prices. Everyone knows Shelbyville has many things to offer, but trying to pay high auto insurance rates can make it difficult for lots of drivers to afford good insurance coverage.
If you have a current auto insurance policy or need a new policy, you can use these techniques to get lower rates and still get good coverage. This information will familiarize you with how to effectively get price quotes and some tricks to saving. Indiana consumers just need to know the proper way to shop for auto insurance online.
Auto insurance discounts are available to cut your rates
Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some of these disounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before they will apply.
- Drive Less and Save – Low annual miles could earn better premium rates on cars that stay parked.
- Early Switch Discount – Some auto insurance companies give discounts for switching policies before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child participate in a local driver’s education class as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
- Buy New and Save – Buying a new car instead of a used car can cost up to 25% less since new model year vehicles are generally safer.
- Claim-Free Discount – Claim-free drivers get the best auto insurance rates in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
- Active Service Discounts – Being on active deployment in the military may lower your premium rates slightly.
- Professional Memberships – Participating in certain professional organizations can get you a small discount when getting a .
- College Student – Kids who are enrolled in higher education away from home and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may qualify for this discount.
- Life Insurance – Auto insurance companies who offer life insurance give a lower price if you buy some life insurance too.
Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it’s just not the way it works. But any discount will bring down your overall bill.
Some of the larger companies who may offer some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:
If you want , ask every prospective company to give you their best rates. Some discounts listed above might not be offered everywhere. To view companies that offer multiple discounts in Indiana, click this link.
There are a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices but there is one way that is more efficient than others. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking to local insurance agents in Shelbyville, or you could save time and use online quotes to quickly compare rates.
All the larger companies enroll in a system where insurance shoppers enter their coverage request one time, and each company then gives them pricing. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests for each company.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to start a free quote.
The only downside to using this type of form is you are unable to specify the providers you want to price. If you prefer to choose from a list of companies to receive pricing from, we have a listing of low cost auto insurance companies in Indiana. View list of Indiana insurance companies.
The method you choose is up to you, but compare equivalent information on every quote. If your comparisons have unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s impossible to determine which company has the best rates in Shelbyville.
Learn how to buy auto insurance cheaper
When buying auto insurance it’s important to understand the factors that play a part in calculating your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively determines premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower premium levels. Many factors are part of the equation when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving record, but other criteria are less obvious like where you live and annual miles driven.
- Safety first – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have lower insurance rates. Highly rated vehicles reduce occupant injuries and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts which can result in lower premiums. If your car has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it is probably cheaper to insure.
- How do annual miles impact rates? – Driving a lot of miles each year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Most insurance companies calculate rates partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos that are left in the garage receive better premium rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance policy properly reflects the right rating data, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Combine policies to earn discounts – Many insurance companies will award lower prices to people who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. The amount of the discounts can be 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, it’s always a smart idea to compare other company rates to ensure the best deal.
- Why do you need liability coverage? – The liability section of your policy will provide protection when you are ruled to be at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Your liability coverage provides legal defense which can cost a lot. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.
- The type of car you drive affects your costs – The make and model of the vehicle you need insurance for makes a significant difference in your car insurance bill. The cheapest rates are usually for lower cost passenger cars, but your final cost has many other factors.
- Male premiums may be higher – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. It does not mean women are better drivers. They both are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Not only that, but men also get higher numbers of serious violations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Males from age 16 to 21 are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- Bad drivers pay high rates – Being a careful driver can have a huge impact on auto insurance premiums. Only having one speeding ticket can bump up the cost substantially. Drivers with clean records get better rates compared to bad drivers. Drivers who have gotten severe citations such as reckless driving or DUI may find that they have to to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
- Lower deductibles cost more – Your deductibles define the amount you are required to pay if the claim is covered. Protection for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, insures against damage to your car. Examples of some claims that would be covered are a windshield broken by a bird, vandalism, and having a roll-over accident. The more you’re willing to pay, the less money you will pay for auto insurance.
Independent versus captive car insurance agents
A lot of people would rather get professional advice from a licensed agent and that can be a great decision Insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and help you file claims. The biggest benefit of getting free rate quotes online is you may find cheaper rates and also buy local. And buying from neighborhood insurance agencies is definitely important in Shelbyville.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to companies in Shelbyville who will give competitive quotes to get your business. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to drive around because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address. In the event you want to compare rates for a specific company, you can always jump over to their website and give them your coverage information.
Two types of Shelbyville car insurance agents
When searching for a local Shelbyville insurance agency, you should know the different types of agents and how they function. Auto insurance agents in Shelbyville may be either captive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Either one can provide auto insurance policies, but we need to point out the difference in how they write coverage since it could factor into the selection process.
Independent Auto Insurance Agents
These agents do not have single company limitations so as a result can place your coverage with lots of companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you want to switch companies, the business is moved internally without you having to go to a different agency.
When comparing rate quotes, you will want to get quotes from several independent agencies to ensure the widest selection of prices. Many can place coverage with lesser-known insurance companies which may have better rates.
Below is a list of independent agents in Shelbyville that may be able to give you price quotes.
- Malcolm Ramsey Insurance – 22 W Washington St # 100 – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 398-9601
- Nolley Insurance Svc – 63 E Washington St – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 398-2392
Captive Auto Insurance Agents
Agents in the captive channel can only place business with one company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm, and AAA. Captive agents cannot provide prices from multiple companies so always compare other rates. Captive agents are well trained on sales techniques which helps them sell on service rather than price. Consumers sometimes use the same captive agent partially due to high brand loyalty and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
Shown below are captive insurance agencies in Shelbyville willing to provide rate quotes.
- Allstate Insurance – 37 Public Sq – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 392-2101
- State Farm Insurance – 307 S Harrison St – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 392-2330
- American Family Insurance – 266 E Broadway St – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 835-7849
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 2915 E State Road 44 – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 392-2501
- Shelter Insurance – 701 N Harrison St – Shelbyville, IN 46176 – (317) 398-2886
To help find insurance agencies near you, see this list of insurance agencies in Shelbyville, IN.
Choosing an insurance agent should include more criteria than just the quoted price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Are they full-time agents?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Are they involved in claim handling?
- Is the agent CPCU or CIC certified?
Buyer beware of auto insurance advertising tricks
Indiana consumers constantly see and hear ads for cheaper auto insurance from companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Geico. All the companies tend to make the same promise about savings if you just switch your coverage to them.
How does each company save you money? This is the trick they use.
Most companies have a certain “appetite” for a prospective insured that earns them the most money. A good example of a preferred risk could be a mature driver, owns a home, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save a lot if they switch.
Insureds who may not quite match those standards may receive a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the customer buying from a different company. The ads state “customers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that much money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims.
Different companies use different criteria so it is so important to do a quote comparison often. It is impossible to guess which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.
Buy online or local, you save
Throughout this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding . Consumers may even find the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies.
When buying insurance coverage, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice full coverage and found out when filing a claim they didn’t have enough coverage. The goal is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price, but do not skimp to save money.
Cost effective auto insurance can be sourced both online in addition to local insurance agencies, so get from both of them to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies don’t offer the ability to get quotes online and many times these smaller companies prefer to sell through independent agencies.
Additional auto insurance information is available on the found here. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and download brochures.
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