Price shopping your Woodinville car insurance is challenging for drivers who are new to online comparison shopping. There are so many different companies and agents to choose from that it can easily turn into hard work to find the best prices.
The purpose of this post is to teach you the most effective way to quote insurance and some tricks to saving. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using these methods. Washington vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to compare rates on the web.
Finding a lower price on insurance is a great way to save money. Consumers just need to take time to compare rate quotes online with multiple companies. Price comparisons can be done in several different ways.
Experts agree that the best way consumers can analyze rates is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form keeps you from doing repetitive form entry for each price estimate. Filling out one form gets prices estimates from several companies. Just one form and you’re done.
Another way to get comparison quotes requires you to visit each individual company website to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s say you want comparison quotes from State Farm, Geico and Travelers. To do that, you would have to visit each site and type in your information over and over, which is why the first method is quicker. To view a list of companies in Woodinville, click here.
The least efficient way to find and compare rates is driving around to all the different insurance agencies. Comparing rates online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you require the advice and guidance only provided by licensed agents. It is possible to compare the best prices online and get advice from an agent in your area.
Whichever method you choose, try to keep the exact same quote data on every price quote you get. If you are comparing unequal deductibles or liability limits you will not be able to determine the lowest rate in Woodinville.
Cheaper rates with these car insurance discounts
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you may qualify for discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. A few discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but some need to be requested specifically before they will apply.
- Discounts for Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government may reduce rates when you depending on your company.
- Memberships – Joining a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on your next renewal.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low annual miles may enable drivers to earn lower premium rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Own a Home and Save – Owning a home in Woodinville can save a few bucks because it is proof of financial responsibility.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you can combine your auto and homeowners policy with one insurance company you could get a discount of over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- No Claim Discounts – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less compared to drivers with a long claim history.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking a defensive driving course may get you a small discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- Early Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Policy discounts save money, but some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Even though the math looks like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
A partial list of companies that may offer quotes with these discounts include:
Before you buy a policy, ask every insurance company what discounts are available to you. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be offered in Woodinville. To choose providers that have a full spectrum of discounts in Washington, click this link.
Informed consumers can cut your costs
Part of the car insurance buying process is learning the factors that help determine your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay, this helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
The list below includes some of the major factors used by insurance companies to determine your rate level.
- More traffic means higher claims – Being located in smaller towns and rural areas of the country has definite advantages when it comes to car insurance. People in densly populated areas regularly have congested traffic and higher rates of accident claims. Lower population means fewer accidents in addition to fewer liability claims.
- Rates can drop if you have more than one policy – Most larger insurers afford lower prices to clients that purchase more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you may still want to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to save money by buying insurance from more than one company.
- Liability is cheap – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you when you are determined to be liable for causing personal injury or damage in an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense to attempt to prove you were not liable. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
- Accidents will cost you – Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Having a single moving violation can bump up the cost substantially. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better prices as compared to those with violations. Drivers who have received severe violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find that they have to to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Continuous coverage lowers rates – Going without insurance can be a sure-fire way to pay more for car insurance. Not only will you pay more, not being able to provide proof of insurance could result in a revoked license or a big fine.
- Safety first – Vehicles that have high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and cheaper rates on your policy. If your car or truck is rated at a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov it may cost less to insure.
- What type of car do you drive? – The type of car, truck or SUV you need to insure makes a significant difference in your car insurance bill. The most favorable rates are usually for economy passenger cars, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- A good credit rating can save money – An insured’s credit score factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit score can be improved, you could potentially save money when insuring your vehicle if you improve your credit rating. People with very good credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with bad credit.
You may need help from an agent
Some consumers still like to talk to an insurance agent and that can be a smart move Professional agents can answer important questions and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of comparing rate quotes online is that you can find better rates and still choose a local agent. Buying from small agencies is especially important in Woodinville.
Once you complete this quick form, your coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your business. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to search for an agent because quoted prices will be sent directly to you. If you wish to compare rates from a specific company, feel free to navigate to their website and give them your coverage information.
The type of auto insurance agent you choose is important
If you want to buy car insurance from local Woodinville agents, it helps to know the two types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Car insurance agents can be described as either captive or independent (non-captive). Either one can sell and service car insurance coverage, but we need to point out the difference in the companies they write for since it can impact the kind of agent you use.
Independent Agents
Agents of this type do not write with just one company and that allows them to write policies through lots of different companies and get the cheapest rates. If they quote lower rates, they simply move the coverage in-house and you can keep the same agent. When searching for an agent, we recommend you include rate quotes from independent agents to maximize your price options. They often place coverage with different regional companies that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Shown below is a list of independent agents in Woodinville who may provide competitive price quotes.
- Insurance Services – 14227 NE Woodinville Duvall Rd – Woodinville, WA 98072 – (425) 483-4583
- Insurance Services Group – 17401 135th Ave NE # 2 – Woodinville, WA 98072 – (425) 483-1022
Captive Car Insurance Agents
These agents write business for a single company such as Farmers Insurance, Allstate, or State Farm. They generally cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captives are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Some people will only purchase coverage from captives partially due to the prominence of the brand and strong financial ratings.
The following are captive agents in Woodinville that can give you price quote information.
- Allstate Insurance – 17417 139th Ave NE – Woodinville, WA 98072 – (425) 483-5500
To find agencies near you, feel free to visit this directory of car insurance agents in Woodinville.
Finding the right auto insurance agent requires you to look at more than just the price. These questions are important to ask:
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
- Is every driver in your family covered?
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
- Do you work with a CSR or direct with the agent?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Do they get paid more for recommending certain coverages?
Upon receiving reasonable responses to these questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found a car insurance agent that can be relied on to properly service your car insurance policy.
More information is located on the . Click here for link. Washington drivers can view agent and company licensing information, learn about insurance regulations, and read consumer alerts.
Also read more on NAIC.org’s Understanding your Policy and this page of insurance agents in Woodinville.
Brand name doesn’t guarantee savings
Consumers in Washington can’t avoid all the ads for cheaper car insurance by State Farm, Allstate and Geico. They all try to convey promises that you’ll save big if you move your car insurance policy to them.
That’s great but how can every company charge less that you’re paying now? This is the way they can do it.
Insurance companies quote their cheapest rates for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of this type of driver might have to be a female over age 40, has few claims, and chooses high deductibles. Any driver who matches that profile is entitled to the best price and have a good chance to save a lot if they switch.
Drivers who are not a match for this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate and ends up with business not being written. The ads state “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” will save that much if they switch. That’s the way companies can make it sound like they have such great rates.
Because of this risk profiling, you should quotes as often as possible. Because you cannot predict the company that will provide the lowest prices.
You can lower your rates
A few companies do not provide online quoting and many times these smaller companies prefer to sell through independent insurance agencies. Cheaper car insurance can be found on the web in addition to many Woodinville insurance agents, so you need to compare both so you have a total pricing picture.
You just read many ways to lower your car insurance premium rates. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get prices for, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Drivers may discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are too many instances where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal is to get the best coverage possible at the best cost while still protecting your assets.