Are you overwhelmed by the sheer number of car insurance companies in Kingsport? Many other drivers are as well. Consumers have so many options available that it can turn into a ton of work to find the perfect company for you.
This information will instruct you on the best way to quote coverages. If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. Nevertheless, Tennessee vehicle owners need to have an understanding of the way insurance companies compete online and use this information to your advantage.
Discounts are great for lower rates
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but some must be asked for before you get the savings.
- Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home can help you save on car insurance because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
- One Accident Forgiven – Certain companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
- Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
- Anti-theft System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- Organization Discounts – Affiliation with certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will cut your overall premium however.
To see a list of providers offering car insurance discounts in Kingsport, click here.
How to Compare Car Insurance Costs in Kingsport, Tennessee
All the larger car insurance companies allow you to get insurance quotes online. Getting online rates is fairly simple as you just type in the coverages you want into the quote form. Upon sending the form, the company’s rating system automatically retrieves information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information based on these factors.
Quoting online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the process of having to visit multiple sites and enter the same data into a form is monotonous and tiresome. But it is imperative to compare as many rates as possible in order to find the best price on car insurance.
An easier way to compare car insurance pricing is to use a quote form that analyzes rates from a bunch of companies at once. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes price shopping online much more efficient. As soon as you send your information, it is quoted and you are able to buy your choice of the returned quotes.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
In order to find out what other companies charge, click here and input your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you copy as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive a rate comparison based on similar coverages.
Decisions you make can impact your rates
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower car insurance prices.
Listed below are some of the items that factor into premiums.
- Higher deductibles cost less – The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. The more expense you’re willing to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
- Rate your vehicle for proper use – The higher the mileage driven in a year the higher your rate. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars that are left in the garage get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Verify your car insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
- Theft deterrents lower rates – Owning a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent your car from being stolen.
- High performance equals high price – The performance level of the car you own makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. The lowest rates are usually for low performance passenger models, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Credit scores impact car insurance rates – Your credit history is a large factor in determining your rates. If your credit score is not that good, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit scores.
- Never allow your policy to lapse – Not having insurance is a misdemeanor and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance lapse. Not only will you pay more, but not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a revoked license or a big fine.You may then be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Tennessee motor vehicle department.
In the end, you save
While you’re price shopping online, it’s a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.
We just covered a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.
Affordable car insurance can be found from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Kingsport, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
For more information
More information can be read on the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance website found here. Tennessee drivers can read state legal mandates and laws, file complaints about a company, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find a variety of consumer forms.
Also read more on this site for rates in Tennessee and this link which helps you find a Kingsport agent.