Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can dwindle your checking account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to tighten up your finances.
Lots of insurance companies contend for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a company to find the absolute lowest rate possible.
It’s a good habit to do rate comparisons quite often since rates change frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest price a few years ago you will most likely find a better rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn the tricks you need to know to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Finding affordable coverage in Muskegon is not that difficult. Although Michigan drivers need to have an understanding of the way insurance companies sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.
Muskegon Car Insurance Quote Comparison
All the larger car insurance companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive give price estimates on their websites. The process doesn’t take much effort as you simply enter your coverage information as requested by the quote form. After the form is submitted, their rating system makes automated requests for information on your driving record and credit history and provides a quote based on these factors. Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the process of having to visit a lot of sites and fill out multiple forms can get tiresome after awhile. But it is imperative to perform this step in order to find the best price on car insurance.
A more efficient way to lower your rates requires only one form that gets price quotes from several companies at one time. It’s a real time-saver, eliminates repetitive work, and makes rate comparisons much easier to do. Immediately after you send the form, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any of the returned quotes.
If the quotes result in lower rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. It takes just a few minutes to complete and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
If you want to compare pricing, click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you enter the coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This way, you will be getting rate comparison quotes using the exact same coverages.
Don’t miss these discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically when you purchase, but a few need to be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts up to 30%.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
- No Claims – Claim-free drivers can save substantially when compared to frequent claim filers.
- College Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
- Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.
To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Michigan, click here.
Smart Buyers can Save Money
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get big savings.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-5.jpg" alt="Michigan auto insurance“/>
The list below includes a few of the “ingredients” used by your company to calculate your rates.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and thus lower rates.
- Type of vehicle determines base rates – The type of vehicle you are insuring makes a significant difference in determining your rates. Small economy passenger cars usually have the lowest rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Older drivers pay less – Teenage drivers in Michigan have a tendency to be more careless when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
- Do you have a high stress job? – Jobs such as lawyers, executives and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates attributed to high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. Other occupations like scientists, historians and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
- Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are many additional coverages you can purchase on your policy. Coverages like rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
- Proper usage rating affects rates – The more you drive in a year’s time the higher your rate. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles left parked in the garage receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your car insurance policy is showing the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Increase deductibles and save – Physical damage coverage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims are a windshield shattered by a rock, vandalism, and windstorm damage. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. The more expense you’re willing to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
- Do men or women drive better? – The statistics show 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 at a similar rate, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also receive more costly citations such as reckless driving.
Local Muskegon agents and car insurance
Some consumers would rather get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is you can get the best rates but also keep your business local. And supporting local businesses is definitely important in Muskegon.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the quote information is submitted to insurance agents in Muskegon who will compete to get your business. You won’t need to drive around since price quotes are sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy! You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
The type of insurance agency you choose is important
When finding a good Muskegon insurance agent, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Muskegon agents are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agents do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you include price quotes from multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection.
Shown below are Muskegon independent insurance agents willing to provide price quotes.
Mauseth Insurance Inc – 200 Holton Rd # F-1 – Muskegon, MI 49445 – (231) 744-4772
Cloetingh-Seaway Agency Inc – 1275 Peck St – Muskegon, MI 49441 – (231) 726-5081
Julie R Balgooyen Insurance – 318 Houston Ave – Muskegon, MI 49441 – (231) 722-8151
Martin J Nolan Agency – 1210 Logan Rd – Muskegon, MI 49445 – (231) 744-3857
Tony Schmitt Agency – 1841 Ruddiman Dr – Muskegon, MI 49445 – (231) 744-0044
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents work for only one company and examples are Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agents are trained well in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.
The following is a short list of captive insurance agencies in Muskegon that are able to give price quote information.
Apple Farm Bureau Insurance – 2052 E Apple Ave – Muskegon, MI 49442 – (231) 777-7600
Allstate Management – 3358 Roosevelt Rd – Muskegon, MI 49441 – (231) 780-5482
State Farm Insurance – 2580 Henry St – Muskegon, MI 49441 – (231) 739-3400
To view a complete directory of captive insurance agents in Muskegon, simply jump to this page.
Choosing an auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Michigan?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- How are they compensated?
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
After receiving reasonable responses to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance agency that is a good match to service your policy.
Additional information is located on the website for the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation through this link. Michigan drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about specific coverages, read consumer alerts, and report car insurance fraud.
Can switching companies really save?
Companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the ads have a common claim that you’ll save big after switching your policy. How can each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.
All companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and therefore will save a lot of money.
Consumers who don’t meet this ideal profile will be charged higher prices which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That is how companies can state the savings.
That is why drivers should compare many company’s rates. Because you never know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
Buy online or local, you save
We just showed you a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. They may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are many occasions where an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.