Trying to come up with a payment for pricey car insurance can drain your bank account and make it tough to pay other bills. There are many insurance companies to buy insurance from, and even though it’s nice to be able to choose, more options can take longer to find the lowest rates.
Performing a rate comparison can take hours if you don’t understand the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking about coverages with insurance companies in Rayville, or you could save time and use online quoting to get prices fast.
Many insurance companies participate in a marketplace where insurance shoppers enter their coverage request one time, and every company provides a quote determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do quote forms for every car insurance company.
To find out what other companies charge click here to start a free quote.
The one disadvantage to using this type of form is that you can’t choose which carriers to receive prices from. So if you want to choose specific providers to request quotes from, we put together a list of companies who write car insurance in Louisiana. Click here for list of insurance companies in Louisiana.
The approach you take is up to you, just make sure you compare the exact same coverage limits for each price quote. If you enter higher or lower deductibles you can’t possibly determine which rate is truly the best in Rayville. Quoting even small variations in limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing all the rates in your area helps you find better pricing. Some regional insurers cannot provide rate quotes online, so you need to compare price estimates from those companies as well.
Discounts to earn lower Rayville car insurance rates
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you might be missing out on some discounts to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but occassionally some discounts must be specifically requested before they will apply.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. Most companies allow this discount well after school through age 25.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
- Military Rewards – Having an actively deployed family member may lower your prices slightly.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Drivers who elect to allow driving data collection to study their driving habits by using a telematic data system like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot could save a few bucks if they are good drivers.
- One Accident Forgiven – Not really a discount, but a few companies such as Allstate, State Farm and Geico allow you one accident without the usual rate increase so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to being involved in the accident.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save a little on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Safe drivers can save up to 40% or more on their than less cautious drivers.
Don’t be shocked that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Despite the appearance that having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
A list of car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.
- Progressive may offer discounts for homeowner, good student, continuous coverage, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and online quote discount.
- MetLife includes discounts for good student, good driver, multi-policy, claim-free, defensive driver, and accident-free.
- Mercury Insurance has savings for type of vehicle, good driver, annual mileage, multi-car, anti-theft, professional/association, and good student.
- Nationwide may have discounts that include business or organization, anti-theft, good student, defensive driving, Farm Bureau membership, family plan, and accident-free.
- Geico may include discounts for anti-lock brakes, seat belt use, anti-theft, driver training, and air bags.
- AAA discounts include education and occupation, multi-policy, AAA membership discount, good student, and multi-car.
If you want , ask every insurance company the best way to save money. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be available to policyholders in Rayville. If you would like to view providers that have a full spectrum of discounts in Rayville, click this link.
When to have guidance from an agent
Some consumers still like to sit down and talk to an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is the fact that drivers can get the lowest rates and still have a local agent. Buying insurance from small agencies is important particularly in Rayville.
To find an agent, once you fill out this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is emailed to local insurance agents who want to provide quotes for your car insurance coverage. You never need to contact any insurance agencies since rate quotes are delivered immediately to you. You can find lower rates without requiring a lot of work. If for some reason you want to get a price quote from one company in particular, feel free to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Insurance agent types
When researching an insurance agent, it’s helpful to know the different types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in Rayville are either independent agents or captive agents.
Independent Car Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be independent are not limited to a single company so they can insure your vehicles with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. If they quote lower rates, your agent can just switch to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies.
If you are comparing rate quotes, we recommend you get insurance quotes from a couple of independent agencies in order to have the best price comparison.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in Rayville that can possibly get you comparison quotes.
Lewis Insurance – 3 Insurance Rd – Rayville, LA 71269 – (318) 728-6912
Fred Morgan Insurance – 911 Julia St – Rayville, LA 71269 – (318) 728-4113
Captive Agents
Captive agents generally can only insure with one company such as AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Captive agents receive a lot of sales training on their company’s products which helps them sell on service rather than price.
The following is a list of captive insurance agencies in Rayville who can help you get rate quotes.
Shelter Insurance – 809 Julia St # C – Rayville, LA 71269 – (318) 728-3304
Farm Bureau Insurance – 153 Christian Dr – Rayville, LA 71269 – (318) 728-4837
State Farm Insurance – 114 Ineichen St – Rayville, LA 71269 – (318) 728-6421
To see available agents near you, you may want to see this list of car insurance agencies in Rayville.
Choosing a insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a cheap quote. These are valid questions to ask:
- If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Rayville?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
- Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents?
- Can you get a list of referrals?
- Will the agent help in case of a claim?
Informed drivers can cut their rates
Many different elements are taken into consideration when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious like your driving record, but other criteria are more transparent such as whether you are married and annual miles driven. When buying car insurance it’s important to understand some of the factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you understand what influences your rates, this enables you to make decisions that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
- Gender matters – Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. The data does not necessarily mean that females are better drivers. They both cause fender benders in similar percentages, but men get into accidents with more damage. Not only that, but men also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Young males are several times more likely to be in an accident so it costs more to insure them.
- What type of vehicle do you drive? – The performance level of the car you drive makes a huge difference in your car insurance bill. The lowest premiums tend to be for small economy passenger vehicles, but your final cost has many other factors.
- Insure your auto and home with one company – The majority of companies will award better rates to clients that have more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even with this discount applied, it’s still a good idea to compare other insurance prices to make sure you are getting the best deal.
- Higher coverage deductibles reduce premiums – Physical damage coverage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, covers your vehicle from damage. Examples of covered claims are a dented fender, flood damage, and damage caused by flying debris. The deductibles state the amount of money the insured will be required to pay if you file a covered claim. The larger the amount the insured is willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Teenage drivers are expensive to insure – Beginning drivers in Louisiana have a tendency to be inattentive in a vehicle therefore car insurance rates are much higher. More mature drivers have been proven to be more responsible, cost insurance companies less in claims and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.
- Vocation and insurance premiums – Occupational choices like doctors, architects and dentists have higher rates than the rest of us because of job stress and lots of time spent away from family. On the flip side, jobs like farmers, students and homemakers pay the least.
- Small claims can cost you – Companies in Louisiana provide cheaper rates to insureds who do not file claims often. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Your car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
In conclusion
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your goal is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Lower-priced car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Rayville agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. Some insurance companies do not provide online quoting and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent insurance agents.
We just showed you many ways to compare car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the lowest prices are with the least-expected company. Regional companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
Additional car insurance information is available on the Louisiana Department of Insurance website through this link. Visitors are able to file complaints about a company, read industry bulletins, and view a list of available companies.