Tired of trying to scrape together enough money to pay your car insurance bill each month? You’re in the same situation as many other drivers in Utah.
With so many options, it can be diffult for consumers to choose the most affordable company.
It’s important to check car insurance prices on a regular basis because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates a year ago a different company probably has better rates today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the proper way to find better coverage at a better price.
Why you might pay higher rates in Midvale
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better car insurance rates.
- Men pay higher rates – Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes are in accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
- Choose a safe vehicle and save – Safer cars get lower rates. These vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Type of vehicle determines base rates – The type of car you drive makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. The lowest rates are generally reserved for economy passenger models, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Many car insurance companies give discounts to people who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. If you currently are using one company, it’s still a good idea to shop around to ensure the best deal.
- Better credit means lower rates – A driver’s credit history is a large factor in determining your rates. If your credit rating is not that good, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible than drivers with lower credit scores.
- Add-on coverages can add up – There are quite a few extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your car insurance policy. Things like roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- Where do you drive? – The more miles you rack up on your car in a year’s time the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Autos that are left in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your car insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven.
Finding Car Insurance Deals in Midvale, UT
All the larger car insurance companies such as Geico, State Farm and Progressive provide pricing on their websites. The process is fairly straightforward as you just type in your required coverages into a form. After you complete the form, the system makes automated requests for your driving and credit reports and provides a quote. Being able to quote online streamlines rate comparisons, but the work required to visit different websites and enter the same data into a form can get tiresome after awhile. But it is imperative to have as many quotes as possible in order to find the lowest price.
There is a better way to compare rates
A less time-consuming method to find cheaper rates makes use of a single form to obtain quotes from many companies. It’s a real time-saver, eliminates form submissions, and makes online quotes a little more enjoyable. Immediately after you send the form, it is rated and you can choose any of the quote results.
If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. The whole process takes less than 15 minutes and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
If you want to fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you complete the form with just like they are on your policy. This way, you will receive a fair comparison based on similar coverages.
Are car insurance companies telling the truth?
Companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the ads make an identical promise about savings if you move to their company. How can each company claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. Any new insured who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
Drivers who don’t measure up to these standards must pay higher rates which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently claim big savings.
This illustrates why drivers must compare as many rates as you can. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
Take advantage of discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Most are applied when you quote, but a few must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new cars.
- Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home may trigger a car insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
- Safe Driver Discount – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
- E-sign – Some insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy digitally online.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any amount of discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.
For a list of insurance companies who offer car insurance discounts in Utah, follow this link.
Local Midvale agents and car insurance
Some consumers just want to get advice from a local agent and that is just fine! One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for local agencies is important especially in Midvale.
By using this simple form, the quote information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will compete for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?! You’ll get the best rates and work with a local agent.
If you wish to view licensed agents in Midvale, please go to this site.
Choosing an insurer should depend on more than just a low price. These questions are important to ask:
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
- How are they compensated?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
Once you have reasonable responses to any questions you have and a low price estimate, chances are good that you have found an insurer that meets your needs to adequately provide car insurance.
Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Utah Insurance Department found here. Consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, and discover disciplinary actions.
Shop smart and save
Cost effective car insurance can be purchased both online and with local Midvale insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price.
Throughout this article, we presented many ways to reduce car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the smaller companies. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.