Purchasing the cheapest Williamston car insurance might seem somewhat intimidating for people new to comparison shopping online. With a ridiculous number of online companies available, how can people have time to compare every possible option in order to find the best pricing?
Finding affordable coverage in Williamston is not that difficult. If you have insurance now or need a new policy, you can use these tips to get lower rates while maintaining coverages. South Carolina vehicle owners only need an understanding of the most efficient way to compare company rates online.
Eight tips to get lower Williamston car insurance prices
When buying car insurance it’s important to understand the different types of things that play a part in calculating your policy premiums. When consumers understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
- Only buy coverage you need – Policies have additional extra coverages that can add up if you aren’t careful. Coverages like replacement cost coverage, accident forgiveness, and Farm Bureau memberships may not be needed and are just wasting money. These may sound like a good investment when discussing your needs, but if you have no use for them remove them and pocket the money.
- Protect yourself with liability – Your policy’s liability coverage will provide protection in the event that you are determined to be liable for damages from an accident. Your liability coverage provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to comp and collision, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
- Credit history impact car insurance rates – Having a good credit score can be an important factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit rating is low, you may save money insuring your vehicle by repairing your credit. Insureds that have good credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with worse credit.
- Less chance of injury means lower premiums – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety result in less severe injuries and reduced instances of injuries means lower claim amounts and cheaper rates on your policy.
- Stay claim-free and save money – If you tend to file frequent claims, you shouldn’t be surprised to get increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Car insurance companies in South Carolina give the best rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
- With age comes responsibility – Older insureds are shown to be more cautious, statistically cause fewer accidents .Inexperience drivers are known to be less responsible when driving with friends so car insurance rates are higher.
- Vehicle theft costs us all – Owning a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft devices like OnStar found on GM vehicles, advanced tracking like LoJack, and vehicle immobilization systems all help stop vehicle theft.
- Being married can lower prices – Having a significant other helps lower the price when shopping for car insurance. Having a spouse usually means you are more responsible and it’s statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
More affordable rates by taking advantage of discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts to help offset the cost. Certain reductions will be credited when you get a quote, but some discounts are required to be specially asked for before being credited.
- One Accident Forgiven – This one is not really a discount per se, but certain companies may permit one accident without the usual rate increase if you are claim-free before the accident.
- Military Rewards – Being on active deployment in the military could trigger a small discount.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems have a lower chance of being stolen and will save you 10% or more.
- ABS Brakes – Cars and trucks with ABS and/or traction control are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.
- Claim-Free Discount – Good drivers with no accidents get the best car insurance rates in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
- Early Signing – Some car insurance companies give discounts for switching to them early. This discount can save up to 10%.
One thing to note about discounts is that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though you would think you could get a free car insurance policy, that’s just not realistic.
A few of the larger companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be read below.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-11.jpg" alt="South Carolina insurance quotes” />
- Farm Bureau has discounts for multi-policy, good student, driver training, renewal discount, and youthful driver.
- Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for multi-car, good student, new graduate, exclusive group savings, and preferred payment discount.
- State Farm offers discounts for accident-free, safe vehicle, anti-theft, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, and multiple autos.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including group or association, paperless, teen driver, student away at school, anti-theft, mature driver, and multiple vehicles.
- Geico may have discounts that include good student, driver training, multi-vehicle, membership and employees, multi-policy, military active duty, and air bags.
- SAFECO has savings for multi-car, drive less, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, homeowner, and teen safe driver.
If you need lower rates, check with each company or agent to give you their best rates. Some discounts listed above may not be offered in your state. For a list of companies that have a full spectrum of discounts in Williamston, click this link.
Don’t believe everything you hear
Consumers can’t get away from all the ads for car insurance savings by State Farm, Geico and Progressive. They all say the same thing of big savings just by switching your coverage to them.
How is it plausible that every one can charge you a lower premium?
Insurance providers quote their cheapest rates for the type of driver that will generate a profit. An example of a profitable insured could be over the age of 45, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. Anybody that meets those criteria will probably get the lowest premium rates and will save money with a new company.
People who don’t meet this stringent profile may be required to pay a higher premium which translates to business going elsewhere. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can make those statements. This emphasizes why drivers should do a quote comparison often. It is just not possible to predict which car insurance company will provide the lowest premium rates.
Read more about South Carolina car insurance
Even more information is available at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, find a variety of consumer forms, view agent and company licensing information, and read industry bulletins.
Don’t give up on cheaper rates
Insureds leave their current company for a number of reasons such as extreme rates for teen drivers, policy non-renewal, policy cancellation or high rates after DUI convictions. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.
We just showed you many tips how you can compare car insurance rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get auto insurance rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.
Affordable car insurance can be found from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Williamston, so you should compare both to have the best selection. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies work with independent insurance agents.