Shopping for affordable Lake Stevens car insurance on the web can be impossible for beginners to comparison shopping online. With so many online companies available, how can anyone effectively compare every one to find the best available rates?
Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates
Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that go into determining your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get big savings.
Listed below are some of the factors that factor into your rates.
- Your age impacts your rates – Older drivers are more cautious drivers, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Teen drivers tend to be careless and easily distracted behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
- An active claims history can cost you – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance companies in Washington give discounts to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
- How credit affects car insurance rates – A driver’s credit score is a important factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your by improving your credit score. Consumers who have high credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with poor credit.
- Car features impact rates – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
- Do you need those extra coverages? – There are a ton of additional coverages that can waste your money on your policy. Things like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and term life insurance may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if they’re wasting money remove them from your policy.
Compare Car Insurance Today
There are multiple methods to compare car insurance quotes, but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend your day talking about coverages with insurance agencies in Lake Stevens, or you can stay home and use online quotes to maximize your effort.
Most car insurance companies belong to a marketplace that enables customers to enter their coverage request one time, and each participating company can provide price quotes based on that information. This eliminates the need for form submissions for each company you want a rate for.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to open in new window.
The only downside to doing it this way is you don’t know exactly the insurers you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose from a list of companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Washington. Click to view list.
Whichever method you choose, ensure you are comparing identical deductibles and coverage limits on every quote you get. If the quotes have different deductibles then you won’t be able to determine the best price in Lake Stevens. Having just a slight variation in limits may cause a big price difference. Just keep in mind that quoting more will increase your chances of finding a lower rate.
Don’t listen to company ads
Car insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Geico continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all seem to say the same thing about savings after switching your policy. How does each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be over the age of 40, has no prior claims, and has a high credit rating. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who fall outside the requirements will be charged a more expensive rate and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That is how companies can state the savings.
That is why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It’s impossible to know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Discounts are great for lower rates
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there are discounts available to help offset the cost. Some discounts apply automatically when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be requested specifically before you get the savings.
- Own a Home – Owning a home in Lake Stevens can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
- Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
- Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and will save you 10% or more.
- Organization Discounts – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts up to 30%.
- Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.
For a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Washington, click here to view.
You may need specialized coverage
When it comes to choosing the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
For example, these questions could help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
- Does my vehicle need full coverage?
- Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.
Much more information about car insurance in Washington is located on the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website located here. Consumers can download brochures, read state legal mandates and laws, discover disciplinary actions, and learn about insurance regulations.
Additional helpful sites include this link for Washington coverage information and this list of insurance agents in Lake Stevens, WA.
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
Affordable car insurance can be found on the web and also from your neighborhood Lake Stevens agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers may not provide online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
People who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as not issuing a premium refund, policy non-renewal, lack of trust in their agent or even questionable increases in premium. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a great new company can be pretty painless.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at the best price.