Nobody I know enjoys paying for car insurance, especially when they are aware that they could find better prices if they shop around. Because there are so many options, it can be hard to locate the most cost effective company.
This information will let you in on how to get online quotes and some tips to save money. If you have car insurance now, you will be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Arkansas drivers just need to learn the most efficient way to get comparison quotes online.
Smart buyers can lower your rates
It’s important that you understand some of the things that are used to determine your car insurance rates. When you understand what determines base rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get big savings. Many factors are part of the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Some factors are common sense like your driving record, although others are less apparent like where you live or how safe your car is.
- Car insurance rates and your job – Occupations such as doctors, business owners and emergency personnel generally pay higher premium rates because of stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, careers such as scientists, students and retirees pay the least.
- Rates can change based on your address – Living in areas with lower population can save you money when trying to find low car insurance rates. Fewer drivers on the road means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. Drivers who live in large Arkansas cities have to deal with congested traffic and a longer drive to work. More time behind the wheel means higher likelihood of an accident.
- Less chance of injury means lower car insurance rates – Cars with high safety ratings tend to be cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means less claims paid and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Cautious drivers have lower costs – Even one citation can increase the cost of insurance to the point where it’s not affordable. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums as compared to those with violations. People who have careless violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to maintain a SR-22 with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to legally drive a vehicle.
- What are good liability limits? – Your policy’s liability coverage will provide protection when a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability insurance provides legal defense coverage to defend your case. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
- Pay more of a claim out-of-pocket – Protection for physical damage, also called ‘full coverage’, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims are a dented fender, flood damage, and damage from a fallen tree branch. Physical damage deductibles define how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The more money you choose to pay out-of-pocket, the less your car insurance will be.
- More performance means higher premiums – The make and model of the vehicle you own makes a significant difference in determining your rates. Small economy passenger cars receive the most favorable rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Age of drivers impacts costs – More experienced drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, tend to cause fewer accidents , and usually have better credit.Beginning drivers are statistically shown to be less responsible when driving with friends so they pay higher car insurance rates.
All the larger car insurance companies provide coverage price quotes directly from their websites. Getting quotes can be done by anyone as you just type in your required coverages into a form. Behind the scenes, the quote system will order credit information and your driving record and returns pricing information based on these and other factors. Online price estimates helps simplify price comparisons, but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and type in your information is a big time waster. But it’s very important to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find the best price possible.
The preferred way to compare rates makes use of a single form that gets price quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, reduces the work, and makes online price comparison a little more enjoyable. As soon as you send your information, your coverage is rated and you can choose your choice of the quotes that you receive.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. This process only takes a few minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.
To compare rates now, click here to open in new window and submit the form. To compare your current rates, we recommend you complete the form with your coverages just like they are on your policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive an apples-to-apples comparison for similar coverage.
Smaller companies may have the best rates
Arkansas consumers can’t escape the ads that claim the lowest rates by companies like State Farm and Allstate. All the ads seem to make the promise of big savings if you move your coverage to them.
How do they all cost less than your current company? This is the trick they use.
All the different companies have an ideal profile for the type of customer that will generate a profit. An example of a driver they prefer should be a female over age 40, has never had a claim, and chooses high deductibles. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” receive the lowest rate quotes and will also cut their rates substantially.
People who fall short of this stringent profile will get a higher premium which results in the customer buying from a different company. If you listen closely, the ads state “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save the amount stated. This is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.
Because of the profiling, drivers should compare price quotes frequently. It is just not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
Car insurance companies offer lots of discounts
Some insurers don’t list every disount available in an easy-to-find place, so the next list breaks down both well-publicized as well as some of the hidden credits that may apply to you.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you combine your auto and home policies and insure them both with the same insurance company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
- Passive Restraints – Factory options such as air bags can receive discounts up to 30%.
- Defensive Driver – Participating in a course teaching defensive driver skills can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- No Claim Discounts – Claim-free drivers have much lower rates when compared to frequent claim filers.
- Pay Early and Save – By paying your policy upfront rather than spreading payments over time you could save up to 5%.
- Waiver for an Accident – Not necessarily a discount, but certain companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you have no claims for a certain period of time.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Driving fewer miles could earn lower car insurancerates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy may earn a small discount since new vehicles are generally safer.
- Distant Student Discount – Children who live away from home at college and leave their car at home could get you a discount.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy. But all discounts will reduce your policy cost.
The best car insurance companies and some of the discounts are detailed below.
- American Family has discounts for bundled insurance, mySafetyValet, good student, Steer into Savings, air bags, and TimeAway discount.
- Nationwide offers discounts for Farm Bureau membership, multi-policy, easy pay, good student, business or organization, and anti-theft.
- MetLife offers premium reductions for good driver, accident-free, multi-policy, claim-free, defensive driver, and good student.
- 21st Century may offer discounts for teen driver, defensive driver, air bags, anti-lock brakes, 55 and older, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include distant student, business and professional, mature driver, teen driver, multi-car, alternative fuel, and bundle discounts.
- Allstate includes discounts for new car, passive restraint, early signing, senior citizen, anti-lock brakes, teenSMART discount, and EZ pay plan discount.
Check with every prospective company which discounts can lower your rates. Some discounts listed above may not be available in Barling. To view insurers with the best discounts in Arkansas, follow this link.
Neighborhood Barling auto insurance agents
Many drivers would rather go talk to an agent and that can be a smart move Insurance agents can answer important questions and help file insurance claims. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find cheap car insurance rates but also keep your business local. And buying from small agencies is important especially in Barling.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your information is submitted to local insurance agents that provide and help you find cheaper coverage. You never need to visit any agencies because prices are sent to your email. In the event you want to get a price quote from one company in particular, you can always search and find their rate quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
The type of car insurance agent you choose is important
If you’re trying to find a reliable insurance agency, it helps to know the two different types of agents to choose from. Agencies in Barling are either captive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Either one can write policy coverage, but it’s worth learning the subtle differences since it can impact your agent selection.
Independent Car Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents are not required to write business for one company and that allows them to write policies with multiple insurance companies and find you the best rates. If prices rise, your agent can just switch to a different company and you stay with the same agent.
If you are trying to find cheaper rates, we recommend you get rate quotes from a couple of independent agencies to get the best comparison.
Listed below is a partial list of independent insurance agents in Barling who may provide free car insurance quotes.
Young Insurance LLC – 215 11th St – Barling, AR 72923 – (870) 946-4400
Captive Car Insurance Agents
Agents of this type can only provide one company’s prices and examples are State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. Captives cannot provide other company’s prices so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captives are trained well on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell on service rather than price.
The following is a list of captive agencies in Barling who can help you get price quote information.
Shelter Insurance – 1311 Fort St # C – Barling, AR 72923 – (479) 484-7424
To view insurance agents in your area, view this directory of Barling, AR insurance agencies.
Finding a good insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Are they actively involved in the community?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- Has the agent ever had any license suspensions?
- Can you get a list of referrals?
- Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents?
If you get answers to your satisfaction to your questions and locked in a price quote, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that is professional and can insure your vehicles.
Additional car insurance information is located on the found here. Arkansas consumers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read state legal mandates and laws, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
In Summary
We just presented many ideas to get a better price on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you , the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the lowest prices are with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
The cheapest car insurance can be found from both online companies in addition to many Barling insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best selection. Some companies do not provide price quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies only sell through independent agents.