Have you had enough of robbing Peter to pay Paul to insure your vehicles every month? Your situation is no different than millions of other consumers. Many auto insurance companies vie to insure your vehicles, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurers to get the best rate
If you are insured now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use this information to get lower rates and still get good coverage. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Meridian is easy if you know what you’re doing. Mississippi drivers only need to know the most efficient way to shop for car insurance online.
Save Money with These Tips
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.
Shown below are some of the items that factor into rates.
- Traffic citations inflate rates – A bad driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Even one speeding ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who don’t get tickets receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. If you have dangerous violations such as DUI or reckless driving may find they need to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are many additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages like personal injury protection, accidental death and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them get rid of them and save.
- Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – The majority of companies give discounts to customers who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s in your best interest to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
How to Get Meridian Car Insurance Comparison Quotes
Finding cheaper car insurance prices can be relatively painless. The only thing you need to do is take the time to get quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done using a couple different methods.
- Probably the best way to find low rates is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This method prevents you from having to do separate quotation requests for each company you want a rate for. One form submission will return price quotes from several companies.
- A more difficult way to shop for car insurance online requires you to visit each company website to request a price quote. For instance, let’s say you want rates from USAA, Farmers and Geico. You would have to visit each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular.
To view a list of companies in Meridian, click here.
It’s up to you which method you use, but compare identical quote information on every quote you get. If you are comparing different deductibles it will be next to impossible to find the best deal in Meridian.
How much can you save with discounts?
Companies do not list every available discount very well, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Passive Restraints – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of more than 20%.
- Resident Student – Children who live away from home without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off your medical payments premium.
- Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.
- Own a Home – Owning a house in Meridian may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
- Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
- Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Accident Waiver – Certain companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
How much car insurance do I need?
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine if you might need an agent’s assistance.
- What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?
- When should I remove comp and collision on my vehicle?
- When would I need rental car insurance?
- Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
- What is the minimum liability in Mississippi?
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Mississippi Insurance Department website. Consumers can read consumer alerts, find out industry alerts, and read industry bulletins.
Other useful links include this resource for Mississippi car insurance prices and this page for help finding agents in Meridian, MS.
Buy online or local, you save
The cheapest car insurance is available online in addition to many Meridian insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not provide online quoting and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
You just read quite a bit of information on how to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.