Sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money to insure your vehicles every month? You are no different than most other car owners in South Dakota. Multiple car insurance companies compete for your hard-earned dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurers to discover the definitive best rate
If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use this information to cut your premiums and still get good coverage. Buying car insurance in Beresford is easy if you know what you’re doing. South Dakota drivers just need to know the most effective way to compare company rates on the web.
How to Compare Beresford Auto Insurance Rates
Getting a lower price on insurance can be relatively painless. Just take time getting comparison quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- One of the best ways to get the best comparison quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form keeps you from doing separate quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company. One quote request gets you price quotes from many national carriers.
- A more difficult way to compare rate quotes requires a trip to each company website to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s say you want rates from Liberty Mutual, Allstate and Progressive. To find out each rate you need to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Beresford, click here.
- The least recommended method of getting rate comparisons is to spend your day driving to and from local Beresford insurance agencies. Buying insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you require the trained guidance of a local Beresford agent. Drivers can find lower rates online but still have the advice of a local agent and we’ll touch on that later.
Whichever method you choose, compare the exact same coverage limits with every price quote. If you compare differing limits you can’t possibly make an equal comparison in Beresford.
Advertising myths
South Dakota drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make the same claim of big savings if you change your policy.
How can each company say the same thing?
Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer they prefer to insure. An example of a preferred risk could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has a short commute. A propective insured who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile will be charged higher premiums and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings. That is why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which company will give you the biggest savings.
Beresford Rates are Influenced by These Factors
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
- Lower rates with optional equipment – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent car theft.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are quite a few additional coverages that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for roadside assistance, towing coverage and term life insurance are some examples. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but if they’re wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Women pay lower rates – Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. Men and women are in accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving.
- High crash test scores lower rates – Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Performance makes a difference – The make and model of the car you own makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars receive the most favorable rates, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Car insurance companies don’t always publicize all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the best known and also the lesser-known ways to save on auto insurance. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.
- Resident Student – Children living away from home attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
- Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies prior to your current policy expiration. The savings is around 10%.
- Discount for Good Grades – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
- Driver Safety – Completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you’re out of luck.
Your local neighborhood insurance agent
Some people would rather talk to a local agent. Agents can help determine the best coverages and give you peace of mind. The best thing about getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find better rates and still have an agent to talk to.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the quote information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Beresford who will return price quotes for your coverage. You won’t need to drive around as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy!
Choosing an provider needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in South Dakota?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Who are their largest clients?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
Captive agents vs. Independent agents
When finding a good Beresford insurance agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents to choose from. Agencies in Beresford can either be captive or independent. Both types can write coverage properly, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them because it can influence the type of agent you choose
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive insurance agents are contracted to one company such as AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. These agents are unable to place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Captive agencies are well schooled on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents do not work for one specific company but rather can write business with multiple insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally and that require little work on your part.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you contact multiple independent agents for the best price selection.
Below is a short list of independent agencies in Beresford that are able to give price quotes.
Jensen Insurance and Real Estate – 124 N 3rd St – Beresford, SD 57004 – (605) 763-2675
J F Weber Insurance – 406 S 11th St – Beresford, SD 57004 – (605) 763-2136
To view a full list of licensed insurance agents in Beresford, please go to this site.
Once you have reasonable responses in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance agent that is a good match to provide auto insurance coverage.
Affordable insurance is out there
We’ve covered some good ideas how to save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the biggest savings come from a small local company. Some small companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.
Cheap auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Beresford insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some companies do not provide online price quotes and these smaller companies work with independent agents.
Online resources for education
More detailed South Dakota auto insurance information is located at the South Dakota Division of Insurance website. South Dakota consumers can learn about specific coverages, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about a company.