Saving money on Franklinton auto insurance can seem to be challenging for drivers new to shopping for insurance online. With dozens of insurers available, it can easily become a real hassle to find cheaper auto insurance rates.
It is always a good idea to compare rates every six months because insurance prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you got the lowest rates last year other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the proper way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
Auto insurance quotes and discounts
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but you might be missing out on some discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. A few discounts will automatically apply at quote time, but some discounts are required to be inquired about prior to receiving the credit. If you don’t get every credit available, you are throwing money away.
- Own a Home and Save – Simply owning a home can help you save on auto insurance because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
- Use Seat Belts – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Paperwork-free – Some larger companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy online.
- Distant Student Discount – Children who live away from home to go to college and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Professional Memberships – Participating in qualifying employment or professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your next renewal.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Accident-free drivers can save as much as half off their rates than their less cautious counterparts.
One thing to note about discounts is that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though you would think you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Larger auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are detailed below.
- Geico may include discounts for military active duty, federal employee, driver training, emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, anti-theft, and defensive driver.
- Travelers may offer discounts for new car, hybrid/electric vehicle, payment discounts, multi-policy, student away at school, and driver training.
- Nationwide has discounts for Farm Bureau membership, multi-policy, anti-theft, good student, defensive driving, family plan, and easy pay.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include distant student, youthful driver, teen driver, business and professional, bundle discounts, mature driver, and early shopping.
- Esurance offers premium reductions for emergency road assistance, claim free, Pac-12 alumni, good student, and safety device.
- State Farm offers discounts for Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, student away at school, multiple policy, passive restraint, driver’s education, and accident-free.
- Progressive includes discounts for homeowner, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
- Mercury Insurance discounts include good student, age of vehicle, anti-theft, professional/association, and multi-car.
Before purchasing a policy, check with each insurance company what discounts are available to you. Savings might not be offered in Franklinton.
How to get Franklinton auto insurance quotes
The are a couple different ways of comparing rates from companies that offer auto insurance in Louisiana. By far the easiest way to find the lowest rates is to jump online and get quotes. This is quite simple and can be completed by using one of the methods below.
The easiest and least time consuming way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for every company. One simple form will return quotes direct from many companies.It’s the quickest way to get rates.
A less efficient way to shop for auto insurance online is spending the time to visit the website for each individual company and fill out their own quote form. For example, let’s say you want to get rates from Progressive, Safeco and Travelers. In order to get each rate, you would have to navigate to each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a handy list of car insurance company links in Franklinton, click here.
The old school method to get comparison rates is to spend your day driving to insurance agencies in your area. Shopping for auto insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you have a complicated situation and need the professional abilities that only a licensed agent can provide. Although, it is possible compare the best prices online but buy from a local insurance agent.
However you get your quotes, make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples quote information with every price quote. If you enter different deductibles it will be impossible to make a fair rate comparison in Franklinton. Just a small difference in coverage limits could mean much higher rates. Just remember that making a lot of price comparisons helps improve the odds of finding a lower rate than you’re paying now. Some regional insurers cannot provide quotes online, so it’s important to compare quotes on coverage from those companies, too.
Lower the price of auto insurance with these tips
Lots of things are part of the equation when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, although others are less apparent like your continuous coverage or how safe your car is. 
The list below includes some of the things used by your company to calculate prices.
- Only buy coverage you need – There are a lot of extra add-on coverages you can purchase if you don’t pay attention. Coverage for things like vanishing deductibles, towing, and Farm Bureau memberships may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them remove them and pocket the money.
- Performance influences insurance premiums – The type of car, truck or SUV you need insurance for makes a big difference in determining your rates. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- Prevent your car from being stolen – Owning a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can earn a premium discount. Advanced theft deterrents such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart vehicle theft.
- Tickets hurt – Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Getting just one driving citation could increase your next policy renewal by as much as twenty percent. Drivers who have received multiple violations such as reckless driving or DUI may be required to maintain a SR-22 with their state’s licensing department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- High credit history translates to low rates – Having a bad credit score will be a significant factor in determining your rates. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with poor credit. If your credit score is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your vehicle by repairing your credit.
- Certain vocations raise premiums – Careers like doctors, social workers and accountants have higher rates than average because of high stress levels and incredibly demanding work hours. Conversely, professions such as professors, students and performers pay lower than average rates.
- How much liability insurance – Liability insurance provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. It will provide for a legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. It is affordable coverage as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
Auto insurance agents near you
Some people prefer to talk to an insurance agent and that can be a smart move One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain the lowest rates and still have a local agent. Putting coverage with local insurance agents is important particularly in Franklinton.
Once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is transmitted to participating agents in Franklinton that can provide to get your business. There is no reason to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent immediately to you. You can find lower rates and a licensed agent to work with. If for some reason you want to quote rates from a specific insurance company, feel free to search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
Captive and independent Franklinton auto insurance agents
If you need to find a local agent, it helps to know the two types of insurance agents and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Auto insurance agents can either be captive or independent.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
These agents do not sell for just one brand so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies and find the cheapest auto insurance rates. If your premiums go up, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When comparing rate quotes, it’s recommended you check rates from a few independent agents to have the best price comparison. Most independent agents also contract with smaller companies which can save you money.
Shown below is a partial list of independent insurance agents in Franklinton who may be able to give you cheap rate quotes.
- ARM Insurance Of Franklinton – 1922 Washington St – Franklinton, LA 70438 – (985) 839-6714
- Crain and Sons Insurance – 26058 Harvey Rd – Franklinton, LA 70438 – (985) 839-9299
- Don Adoue Agency Inc – 909 Mill St – Franklinton, LA 70438 – (985) 839-2254
Captive Agencies
Captive agencies have only one company to place business with and some examples include AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. Captives cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents. Consumers often use the same agent mostly because of the prominence of the brand rather than having low rates.
Shown below is a short list of captive insurance agencies in Franklinton that can give you rate quotes.
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 424 11th Ave – Franklinton, LA 70438 – (985) 839-4546
- State Farm Insurance – 972 Washington St – Franklinton, LA 70438 – (985) 839-4152
To help find agents in your area, click for a list of Franklinton, LA auto insurance agents.
Selecting an car insurance agent should include more criteria than just the price. Here are some questions you might want to ask.
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
- How many years have they been established?
- What insurance companies do they work with in Franklinton?
- Will one accident increase rates?
- If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
- Are they in the agency full-time?
- Where are claims handled?
Save $495 a year. For real?
Popular auto insurance providers such as Geico, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. They all seem to make an identical promise that people will save if you get a free and switch your policy. How does every company save you money? It’s all in the words they use.
All companies have strict underwriting profiles for the driver that will generate a profit. An example of this type of insured could possibly be a married female, has never had a policy lapse, and has great credit. A driver that fits those parameters will get low car insurance rates and will most likely save when switching.
Drivers who do not match this stringent profile may be required to pay higher prices which usually ends up with the prospect going elsewhere. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “people who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” will save that much if they switch. That is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.
This illustrates why you should compare many company’s premium rates. It is just not possible to predict which insurance companies will have the best car insurance rates at this point in time.
One last thing to lower rates
People who switch companies do it for many reasons like delays in responding to claim requests, poor customer service, extreme rates for teen drivers and even denial of a claim. Regardless of your reason, finding a new auto insurance company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
Some insurance companies may not offer online price quotes and many times these smaller companies work with independent agents. Cheaper auto insurance is attainable online and from local insurance agents, so you need to compare both to have the best selection.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your objective should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Additional auto insurance information is located on the website for the Louisiana Department of Insurance located here. Louisiana drivers can find out industry alerts, discover disciplinary actions, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.