If price shopping auto insurance online is new to you, it’s easy to be confused by the sheer number of auto insurance companies all offering big savings in Stowe.
It’s a good habit to shop coverage around quite often due to the fact that insurance rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Despite the fact that you may have had the best price a few years ago other companies may now be cheaper. So forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because we’re going to show you one of the quickest ways to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Comprehensive Stowe Auto Insurance Comparison
There are several ways you can shop for auto insurance but some are easier and takes less work. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with agents in Stowe, or you can stay home and use the internet for quick rates.
The majority of car insurance companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers enter their policy data once, and each participating company returns a competitive quote determined by their information. This eliminates the need for quote requests for every auto insurance company.
To participate in this free quote system, click here to start a free quote.
The only downside to using this type of form is you can’t choose the insurers to receive prices from. If you would rather choose specific providers to compare, we have assembled a list of the cheapest auto insurance companies in Vermont. View list of Vermont insurance companies.
Whichever way you use, ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage information for each price quote. If you enter mixed coverages it’s impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Stowe. Quoting even small variations in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that obtaining a wide range of quotes will increase your chances of finding better pricing.
Cut your premium with discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. Most are applied when you purchase, but a few must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts up to 30%.
- Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
- Student in College – Youth drivers who are attending college without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will help reduce your overall premium however.
For a list of insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Vermont, click this link.
Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with big savings.
Shown below are a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine rates.
- Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are a ton of extra coverages that you can buy when buying auto insurance. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
- High crash test scores lower rates – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
- A lapse in coverage is a bad thing – Driving without insurance is a misdemeanor and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance lapse. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage may earn you a steep fine or even jail time.You may have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Vermont department of motor vehicles.
- Being married is a good thing – Being married can actually save you money on your auto insurance policy. Having a spouse means you’re more responsible it has been statistically shown that married couples file fewer claims.
Buying car insurance locally
Some consumers would prefer to talk to a local agent and that is just fine! The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is you may find better rates and still have an agent to talk to. Supporting local businesses is especially important in Stowe.
To find an agent, once you fill out this simple form, the coverage information is sent to companies in Stowe who will give you bids to get your business. There is no need to even leave your home as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. How cool is that?! It’s the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
If you want to view a list of agents in Stowe to contact, please view this page.
Deciding on an insurer requires more thought than just a low price. These questions are important to ask:
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- How long has their agency been in business in Stowe?
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Vermont?
- If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
Once you have satisfactory answers to these questions and an affordable coverage quote, it’s possible that you found an insurer that is a good match to properly insure your vehicles.
More information is located on the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation website located here. Vermont consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and read industry bulletins.
Ads can be misleading
Auto insurance providers like State Farm, Geico and Progressive regularly use television and radio advertisements. They all make an identical promise about savings if you move your policy. How does each company say the same thing?
All the different companies can use profiling for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who matches those parameters will get very good rates and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential insureds who don’t qualify for the requirements will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s why companies can make the claims of big savings.
Because of the profiling, drivers must get as many comparisons as possible. It’s not possible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.
More effort can pay off
When shopping online for auto insurance, you should never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. Too many times, someone dropped full coverage only to find out that they should have had better coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to reduce auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Lower-priced auto insurance is available on the web and with local Stowe insurance agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.