If shopping for car insurance online is new to you, you can be overwhelmed because of the huge number of car insurance companies offering insurance in Altus.
It’s important to do rate comparisons on a regular basis because prices tend to go up over time. If you had the lowest price a year ago there may be better deals available now. So ignore everything you know about car insurance because it’s time to teach you the right way to find lower rates on car insurance.
If you have a current car insurance policy or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates and possibly find even better coverage. Pricing the lowest cost car insurance coverage in Altus can be fairly easy. Oklahoma drivers only need an understanding of the proper way to shop on the web.
Where Can I Get Cheap Altus Car Insurance?
Finding a lower price on insurance is not rocket science. You just have to take the time comparing rates from different insurance companies. This can be done using a couple different methods.
- One of the simplest ways to get quotes is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This method keeps you from doing separate quotes for every car insurance company. Just one form gets you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies. It’s the fastest way to compare.
- A harder way to shop for car insurance online requires a trip to the website for each individual company to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, let’s say you want comparison quotes from Farmers, Geico and State Farm. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is quicker.
For a list of links to insurance companies in Altus, click here.
Which method you use is up to you, but ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles with every price quote. If you use different deductibles it’s impossible to make a fair comparison in Altus.
Can you really save that much by switching?
Oklahoma consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance from companies such as State Farm and Allstate. They all seem to have a common claim of big savings if you move your policy.
How can each company make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a driver they prefer could possibly be between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer who meets those qualifications will get very good rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.
Consumers who don’t meet this ideal profile will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims. This emphasizes why drivers must compare many company’s rates. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Factors that affect insurance rates
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to better car insurance rates.
- Low deductibles can be expensive – Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you’re willing to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
- Frequent car insurance claims increase rates – If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies in Oklahoma provide better rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. Auto insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
- Bundling policies can get discounts – Many car insurance companies will award you with lower prices to policyholders who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
- Marriage pays dividends – Having a wife or husband can actually save you money when buying car insurance. It is viewed as being more mature and it’s proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Occupations such as lawyers, social workers and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates in part from high stress levels and lengthy work days. Conversely, occupations such as pilots, engineers and the unemployed pay the least.
- Save money with special equipment – Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
You probably qualify for some discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we researched some of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you aren’t receiving every discount available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get better car insurance rates.
- Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply up to age 25.
- Federal Government Employee – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
- Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
- Clubs and Organizations – Affiliation with certain professional organizations could trigger savings on your policy.
- Bundle and Save – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of up to 25% or more.
- Sign Online – Certain companies will give a small break for buying your policy on their website.
It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.
To choose companies with discount car insurance rates in Altus, click this link.
Keep this in mind
As you restructure your insurance plan, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
People change insurance companies for any number of reasons including an unsatisfactory settlement offer, policy cancellation, delays in responding to claim requests or even extreme rates for teen drivers. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.
Throughout this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to get a better price on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even discover the biggest savings come from a smaller regional carrier.
Additional car insurance links
More detailed Oklahoma car insurance information is available at the Oklahoma Insurance Department website. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, find a variety of consumer forms, and view a list of available companies.