Overpriced auto insurance can consume your checking account and require stricter spending habits. Having so many online and local companies to choose from, it’s difficult to find the best auto insurance provider.
Choosing the best insurance company for you in Grandview is quite easy. Just about every driver who is required by state law to have auto insurance stands a good chance to be able to find lower rates. Although Washington car owners must understand the way insurance companies sell online and use this information to your advantage.
Cheaper rates by getting discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Certain credits will be shown when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could qualify you for better auto insurance rates.
- Drive Less and Save – Low annual miles could qualify for lower auto insurancerates due to less chance of an accident.
- 55 and Retired – Mature drivers can get a small decrease in premiums.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
- Driving Data Discount – Grandview drivers who agree to allow their insurance company to scrutinize driving manner by installing a telematics device such as State Farm’s In-Drive may see discounts if they have good driving habits.
- Drive Safe and Save – Drivers without accidents can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Multi-car Discount – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple cars on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though you would think you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will definitely reduce your policy cost.
The best auto insurance companies and their offered discounts are:
- Progressive may have discounts that include continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, good student, multi-policy, online signing, online quote discount, and homeowner.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for safe driver, drive less, teen safety rewards, bundle discounts, and teen safe driver.
- American Family may include discounts for air bags, early bird, defensive driver, Steer into Savings, good student, and accident-free.
- MetLife has discounts for defensive driver, good driver, good student, accident-free, claim-free, and multi-policy.
- Geico has savings for anti-theft, defensive driver, military active duty, anti-lock brakes, and membership and employees.
- The Hartford discounts include driver training, defensive driver, bundle, good student, air bag, vehicle fuel type, and anti-theft.
When comparing rates, check with all companies you are considering to give you their best rates. Some discounts may not be available everywhere. 
The method we recommend to compare policy rates is to know the fact auto insurance companies provide online access to provide you with free rate quotes. All consumers are required to do is spend a couple of minutes providing details such as coverage limits, distance driven, your job, and types of safety features. Your insurance information is then submitted to multiple top-rated companies and you receive quotes within a short period of time.
To compare multiple company rates now, click here and enter the information requested.
Four decisions that affect insurance prices
When buying auto insurance it’s important to understand some of the things that help calculate the level of your policy premiums. If you have some idea of what influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.
- What type of car do you drive? – The performance of the car, truck or SUV you are insuring makes a substantial difference in your premium level. The best insurance prices are usually for economy passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Teenagers are high risk – Teen drivers in Washington tend to get distracted easily when driving with friends so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Parents adding a youthful driver onto a policy can really hurt. More experienced drivers are more cautious drivers, cause fewer claims and accidents and receive fewer citations.
- Save by driving safer cars – Vehicles that have high safety ratings cost less to insure. These vehicles reduce occupant injuries and lower injury rates means your insurance company pays less which can result in lower premiums.
- Vocation impacts rates – Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs like military generalsair traffic controllers and accountants have higher rates than the rest of us because of high stress and extremely grueling work hours. On the other hand, occupations like farmers, athletes and homemakers get better rates.
Slick advertising tricks that work
Companies like State Farm, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads on TV and radio. They all say the same thing about savings if you switch to them. How can each company charge less that you’re paying now? Just pay attention to how they say it.
All the different companies look for specific characteristics for the type of customer that will generate a profit. One example of this type of risk profile might have to be between the ages of 40 and 55, has a clear driving record, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Any customer that matches those criteria receive the lowest rate quotes and will cut their rates if they switch.
Potential insureds who don’t measure up to these standards will be quoted higher rates which leads to business not being written. If you listen closely, the ads state “people that switch” not “everybody who quotes” will save that much if they switch. That’s why insurance companies can make claims like that. Because of this risk profiling, you really should do a quote comparison often. It is impossible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest prices.
Online plus local equals savings
While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.
You just learned many ways to save on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers could even find that the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Allstate and Progressive.
Online resources for education
More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website. Washington consumers can learn about insurance regulations, view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, and view agent and company licensing information.
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