Scraping up a payment for pricey car insurance can eat up your savings and put a big crunch on your finances. Popular companies such as Progressive, State Farm and Geico all claim big savings with catchy ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see past the corporate glitz and find the best price available.
If you have car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. Finding the best rates in Athens is easy if you know what you’re doing. Nevertheless, Ohio drivers do need to know how big insurance companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.
Find cheap car insurance with these tips
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that aid in calculating your policy premiums. When you understand what impacts premium levels, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may result in better car insurance rates. Lots of factors are taken into consideration when premium rates are determined. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving history, but some are not as apparent such as your credit history or your commute time.
The factors shown below are just a few of the factors used by your company to calculate rates.
- Insurance is expensive for teen drivers – More experienced drivers have been proven to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.Teenage drivers are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when at the wheel of a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates.
- Filing policy claims can cost you more – If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Car insurance companies in Ohio award better rates to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of more catestrophic claims.
- Policy add-ons can waste money – There are a ton of extra add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t diligent. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing, and membership fees are some examples. They may sound like good ideas when buying your policy, but if they’re wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Lower rates for married couples – Your spouse may cut your premiums when buying car insurance. Marriage may mean you are more financially stable and it’s statistically proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- Cheaper prices with safer cars – Safe vehicles are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and reduced instances of injuries means less claims paid which can mean better rates for you. If your car or truck scored better than four stars on Safercar.gov you may pay a lower rate.
- Raising physical damage deductibles lowers prices – Your deductibles tell how much you are required to pay in the event of a claim. Coverage for physical damage, also called ‘full coverage’, is used to repair damage to your car. Some coverage claims are collision with another vehicle, fire damage, or theft of your vehicle. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Lower performance equals lower insurance costs – The performance level of the car, truck or SUV you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a significant difference in how high your rates are. The lowest premiums tend to be for small economy passenger models, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Fewer miles means better costs – The more you drive each year the more it will cost to insure it. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Vehicles left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than cars that get driven a lot. Verify your vehicle rating shows the correct usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Cheap Athens car insurance rates with discounts
Car insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but there are discounts available that you may not even know about. Many discounts should be triggered when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about before they will apply.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member could trigger a small discount.
- Responsible Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
- Claim Free – Insureds with no claims or accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on as opposed to accident-prone drivers.
- Mature Driver Discount – Mature drivers could receive lower premium rates.
- Waiver for an Accident – Not a discount per se, but certain companies may permit one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies provide a discount for renewing your policy prior to your current policy expiration. It could save around 10% when you .
- Theft Deterent – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
We need to note that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, you won’t be that lucky.
A few of the larger companies and a selection of discounts are:
- Progressive may have discounts that include continuous coverage, multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, and good student.
- AAA has savings for anti-theft, good driver, multi-policy, AAA membership discount, and education and occupation.
- Farmers Insurance may include discounts for alternative fuel, multi-car, switch companies, teen driver, and business and professional.
- Geico discounts include five-year accident-free, air bags, multi-policy, daytime running lights, membership and employees, and defensive driver.
- Esurance offers discounts including renters, safety device, homeowner, Switch & Save, emergency road assistance, online shopper, and online quote.
- SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, accident prevention training, safe driver, anti-theft, and bundle discounts.
- State Farm offers discounts for multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, driver’s education, student away at school, good student, and good driver.
It’s a good idea to ask all companies you are considering to give you their best rates. All car insurance discounts might not be available to policyholders in Athens. 
Insurance agencies near you
A small number of people would rather buy from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. An additional benefit of comparing rate quotes online is you may find cheap rate quotes and also buy local. And buying from neighborhood insurance agencies is still important in Athens.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area that can give you and help you find cheaper coverage. You never need to contact any agents because prices are sent instantly to you. You can find the lowest rates without having to waste a lot of time. In the event you want to get a comparison quote from a specific company, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
Shown below is a short list of insurers in Athens that may be able to provide rate quotes.
Allstate Insurance Co – 1005 E State St # I, Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 594-6110
Ben Jennings Insurance – 8 N Court St, Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 593-6091
Cuckler Insurance Inc – 460 Richland Ave, Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 594-8371
Picking the best company requires more thought than just the premium amount. A good agent will have answers to these questions.
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Does the agent help file claims?
- How long has their agency been open in Athens?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Ohio?
- Is there a 24/7 contact number?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
The ad said I’d save $445 a year!
Well-known car insurance companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads on television and other media. They all seem to say the same thing that you’ll save big just by switching your coverage. How does each company lower your auto insurance rates? This is how they do it.
Different companies have underwriting criteria for a prospective insured that earns them the most money. One example of this type of insured could be a married female, carries high limits, and has excellent credit. A propective insured that meets those criteria gets the lowest prices and will also save when switching.
Consumers who do not match these criteria will see a more expensive rate and the customer buying from someone else. The wording the ads use say “people who switch” not “all people who quote” can get the lowest rates when switching. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those statements.
This really drives home the point why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Additional consumer information websites
Additional car insurance information is available on the through this link. Visitors are able to read state legal mandates and laws, view a list of available companies, read consumer alerts, and read industry bulletins.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Athens
- Tested Techniques for Low-Cost Athens, AL Car Insurance
- Easy Tips to Spend Less on Athens, OH Car Insurance
- Top 10 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Athens
Smart consumers save more
Throughout this article, we presented many ways to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding . You may even discover the lowest auto insurance rates come from a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Low-cost car insurance is available both online as well as from insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies do not offer internet price quotes and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agencies.