Finding cheaper may seem to be difficult if you’ve never received online price comparisons. But don’t let that discourage you because finding better quotes is easier than you think.
It’s a good habit to check car insurance prices occasionally because rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the best premium rates last year you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn how to use online quotes to save on car insurance.
Cost influencing factors
Lots of things are used when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are obvious such as traffic violations, although others are not quite as obvious like where you live and annual miles driven.
- Rates increase with driving citations – Even one speeding ticket or other violation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers with clean records pay less for auto insurance than their less careful counterparts. Drivers unfortunate enough to have serious violations such as DUI or reckless driving might be required by their state to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state’s licensing department in order to legally drive a vehicle.
- Higher rates for tough occupations – Occupations like fire fighters, executives and accountants generally pay higher premium rates attributed to intense work-related stress and long work hours. Other careers like scientists, athletes and performers have lower than average premiums.
- Lower rates come with age – Drivers with little experience tend to be careless and easily distracted behind the wheel and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher. Older drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, are lower risk to insure and are safer drivers.
- Add-on coverages you don’t need – Insurance companies have many additional coverages that may not really be needed when buying car insurance. Things like rental car reimbursement, accidental death, and membership fees may be costing you every month. They may sound like good ideas when deciding what coverages you need, but your needs may have changed so think about removing them and cutting costs.
- Male rates may be higher – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown women tend to be less risk to insure than men. It does not mean females are better drivers. Both sexes tend to get into auto accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. In addition to higher claims, males also receive more costly citations like driving under the influence (DUI). Male drivers age 16 to 19 have the highest risk to insure so they pay the highest premiums.
When shopping for car insurance there are multiple ways to compare rate quotes from all the different companies. The best method to find affordable insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online. It’s really quite simple and can be done in a couple minutes as outlined below.
- The most efficient way to find low rates is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. One form gets you coverage quotes from multiple low-cost companies. It’s definitely the quickest method.
- A harder way to compare prices requires you to visit the website for every company you want to comare and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, let’s say you want to see prices from Farmers, Progressive and GMAC. To do that, you would have to go to every website and punch in your information repeatedly, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of companies in Cheraw, click here.
- The most time-consuming way of comparing rate quotes is making phone calls or going to and from local insurance agencies. The ability to get quotes online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you have a complicated situation and need the trained guidance that only a licensed agent can provide. If you prefer, some companies allow you to comparison shop online and have a local agent actually service the policy.
You can choose any of those ways to find more affodable coverage, but make sure you use equivalent coverage limits for each quote you get. If you are comparing unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be impossible to find the best deal in Cheraw. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages may result in large price differences. Keep in mind that having more price comparisons helps increase your odds of locating a lower rate than you’re paying now.
Lower-cost South Carolina car insurance quotes with discounts
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but companies offer discounts that may help make it more affordable. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but some discounts are required to be asked about in order for you to get them. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts may get savings of more than 20%.
- Professional Organizations – Being in qualifying employment or professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums when shopping for car insurance.
- Safe Driver Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates compared to accident prone drivers.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Select companies give a discount for renewing your policy prior to your current policy expiration. Ten percent is about the average savings.
- Homeowners Savings – Just being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying a policy with more than one vehicle with the same car insurance company can get a discount for every vehicle.
- ABS Braking Discount – Vehicles that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and the ABS 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 policy premium. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-47.jpg" alt="Cheraw South Carolina car insurance quote”/>
A few popular companies and some of their more popular discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm includes discounts for anti-theft, defensive driving training, passive restraint, driver’s education, multiple autos, and student away at school.
- Esurance may offer discounts for online shopper, good student, paid-in-full, multi-policy, and claim free.
- Progressive has savings for continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, homeowner, good student, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for newly retired, safety features, preferred payment discount, multi-car, new graduate, and teen driver discount.
- Auto-Owners Insurance discounts include multiple vehicles, anti-lock brakes, multi-policy, teen driver, and safe driver.
- Geico policyholders can earn discounts including membership and employees, air bags, multi-policy, driver training, and defensive driver.
Before buying, ask all companies you are considering which discounts can lower your rates. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be available to policyholders in Cheraw. To view insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts in Cheraw, click this link.
Compare rates but work with a local neighborhood Cheraw car insurance agent
A lot of people just want to get advice from a local agent and that is OK! A good thing about comparing rates online is that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent. Putting coverage with small agencies is definitely important in Cheraw.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your information is immediately sent to local insurance agents that provide to get your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to contact any insurance agencies as quotes are delivered directly to you. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to work with. If you have a need to quote rates for a specific company, don’t hesitate to find their quoting web page and complete a quote there.
To help you see a list of insurance agents near you, visit this list of insurance agencies in Cheraw, SC.
Picking an insurance company is decision based upon more than just the quoted price. The questions below may impact your decision as well.
- Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in Cheraw?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
More information can be found on the . Click here for link. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, download brochures, and report car insurance fraud.
Additional helpful sites include this site for rates in South Carolina and this page for help finding agents in Cheraw, SC.
More quotes mean more savings
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price, but do not skimp to save money.
Cheap car insurance is definitely available on the web in addition to many Cheraw insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies do not offer price quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies only sell through independent agents.
People leave their current company for a number of reasons such as extreme rates for teen drivers, unfair underwriting practices, policy cancellation and even policy non-renewal. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new car insurance company can be easier than you think.