Overpriced car insurance can empty your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparing price quotes is free and is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill.
Insurance companies such as Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm all claim big savings with fancy advertisements and it can be hard to separate fact from fiction and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
Don’t miss these discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Some discounts apply automatically at quote time, but a few must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit.
- Discount for Good Grades – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts until age 25.
- Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts up to 30%.
- Accident Waiver – A few companies will forgive one accident without raising rates so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Driving fewer miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
- Resident Student – Youth drivers who live away from home without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates you could get a free car insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Bogalusa, follow this link.
Fast and Easy Bogalusa Car Insurance Quotes
There are a variety of methods you can shop for car insurance but one way is easier and takes less work. You can waste a lot of time discussing policy coverages with agents in Bogalusa, or you can utilize online quoting to get the quickest rates.
Many popular insurance companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to enter their coverage request one time, and each company provides a quote based on that data. This saves time by eliminating quote forms for each company you want a rate for. To participate in this free quote system, click to open in new window.
The one downside to using this type of form is you are unable to specify the companies to receive prices from. If you wish to select from a list of companies to receive pricing from, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in Louisiana. Click here to view list.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make sure you use exactly the same coverage information with every price quote. If the quotes have different deductibles you will not be able to make a fair comparison in Bogalusa. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits could mean much higher rates. And when price shopping your coverage, getting more free quotes gives you a better chance of getting a better price.
What impacts Bogalusa insurance rates?
Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that help determine your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
The following are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate rates.
- High numbers of claims are not good – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance companies in Louisiana provide lower rates to people who are claim-free. Auto insurance is intended for larger claims.
- Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and lower rates for you.
- Type of vehicle determines base rates – The performance of the car you are buying insurance for makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. The lowest rates are usually for lower performance four cylinder passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Add-on coverages can add up – There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and term life insurance may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea at first, but if they’re wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Poor driving leads to higher costs – Just one speeding ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who have dangerous citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Bump up deductibles to save – Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more money you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
What is the best insurance coverage?
When choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether or not you may require specific advice.
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Louisiana?
- Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
- What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
What about using a local agent?
Certain consumers would rather buy from a local agent and that is just fine! One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is you may find the lowest rates but also keep your business local. Supporting local agencies is especially important in Bogalusa.
After completing this simple form, the coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents who will return price quotes to get your business. You won’t need to drive around since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and work with a local agent.
The different types of insurance agents
When finding a good Bogalusa insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different agency structures that you can select. Agents are categorized either captive or independent.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency.
When shopping rates, you should always include multiple independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Shown below is a short list of independent agents in Bogalusa that can give you price quotes.
Judy S Farmer Insurance – 311 Louisiana Ave – Bogalusa, LA 70427 – (985) 735-6517
Moore and Jenkins Insurance – 420 Avenue B – Bogalusa, LA 70427 – (985) 732-7164
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agencies can only place business with one company such as AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance and Allstate. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. They are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
The following are captive insurance agents in Bogalusa willing to provide rate quotes.
Farm Bureau Insurance – 205 Austin St – Bogalusa, LA 70427 – (985) 735-6939
State Farm Insurance – 333 Huron Ave – Bogalusa, LA 70427 – (985) 735-9314
Allstate Insurance – 704 Louisiana Ave – Bogalusa, LA 70427 – (985) 732-4103
For a complete listing of Bogalusa captive insurance agencies, visit this link.
Picking a car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
Once you have received satisfactory answers to these questions as well as a affordable price, you’ve probably found an insurance agent that will provide car insurance coverage.
Do the work, save more money
As you shop your coverage around, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how to get a better price on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.
Additional information is located on the website for the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, find out industry alerts, and read industry bulletins.