Learn How to Cut Costs on Sanford, NC Car Insurance

Nobody I know likes having to buy car insurance, especially knowing their premiums are too high. Many car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the definite best rate

If you are insured now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Finding the best rates in Sanford is not that difficult. North Carolina vehicle owners only need to know the most efficient way to compare rates on the web.

Discounts are great for lower rates

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. A few discounts will automatically apply at quote time, but a few need to be asked about before they will apply. If you don’t get every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

  • Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
  • Seat Belts Save – Requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less when compared to frequent claim filers.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your overall premium however.

For a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in North Carolina, click here.

Car Insurance Prices in Sanford

All major car insurance companies such as State Farm, Geico and Progressive quote insurance quotes directly from their websites. Getting quotes is pretty painless as you simply type in the coverage amounts you desire into a form. When complete, their rating system pulls reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price based on these factors. This streamlines rate comparisons, but having to visit several different sites and complete many quote forms gets old quite quickly. Unfortunately, it is important to have as many quotes as possible if you are searching for the lowest car insurance rates.

The quickest way to locate the lowest prices utilizes a single form that gets price quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes online price comparison much easier to do. As soon as the form is sent, it gets priced and you can select any or none of the pricing results.

If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. It takes less than 15 minutes and may save quite a bit of money.auto insurance image

To use this form to compare rates, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you duplicate the limits and deductibles identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will have comparison quotes using the same coverage and limits.

Factors that affect insurance rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.

The following are some of the items that factor into rates.

  • Clean credit earns discounts – Your credit score is a large factor in determining your rates. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with poor credit. So if your credit rating is low, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
  • Do you have enough liability coverage? – Your policy’s liability coverage provides coverage in the event that you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
  • Frequent car insurance claims increase rates – Companies in North Carolina provide lower rates to drivers who are claim-free. If you frequently file small claims, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Auto insurance is designed for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
  • How’s your driving record? – Good drivers have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Just one ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may be required to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
  • Proper usage rating affects rates – The more miles you rack up on your car each year the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your car insurance policy is showing how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.

Can you really save $491 a year?

Consumers in North Carolina can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings by State Farm, Geico and Progressive. All the ads make the same claim of big savings if you change to their company.

How do they all claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who don’t meet the “perfect” profile will have to pay a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can truthfully state the savings.

Because of the profiling, it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. It is impossible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Sanford NC insurance prices

And the best car insurance company is…

When shopping online for car insurance, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price.

You just learned some good ideas how to save on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the smaller companies. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as Geico and State Farm.

Additional reading for car insurance information

Additional information is available on the website for the North Carolina Department of Insurance located here. North Carolina drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, view agent and company licensing information, and read state legal mandates and laws.

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