Tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are no different than many other drivers in Nebraska. You have multiple insurance companies to pick from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates and find the lowest cost car insurance.
This article will help you learn the best way to quote coverages and some tips to save money. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to save some money using this information. Nebraska drivers just need to understand the tricks to shop on the web.
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, buy you may qualify for discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some trigger automatically at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be asked about in order for you to get them. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Sign Early and Save – Some companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. It can save you around 10%.
- Safety Course Discount – Taking a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more depending on where you live.
- Accident Waiver – Certain companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in school.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can reduce accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy auto and life insurance together.
Keep in mind that some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.
To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Nebraska, follow this link.
Automobile Insurance Quotes in Auburn, NE
Cutting your Auburn car insurance rates doesn’t have to be difficult. The only requirement is to take time comparing rate quotes from different insurance companies. This can be accomplished in several different ways.
- Probably the best way to find low rates would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for boring form submissions for each company. Filling out one form will return quotes from several companies.
- A less efficient way to shop for car insurance online is to take the time to go to each company website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want rates from Geico, Allstate and GMAC. To get each rate you have to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a handy list of car insurance company links in Auburn, click here.
- The hardest method to compare rates is to spend time driving to and from local Auburn insurance agencies. The internet eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you prefer the professional guidance of a local Auburn agent. However, consumers can get prices online and get advice from an agent in your area.
It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples information with every price quote. If each company quotes different limits and deductibles on each one it’s not possible to find the best deal in Auburn.
Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.
The list below includes some of the items used by your company to calculate your rates.
- Credit scores impact car insurance rates – Your credit score is a important factor in calculating your car insurance rates. So if your credit is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records as compared to drivers with poor credit.
- Where you live can impact rates – Choosing to live in a rural area can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. City drivers tend to have much more traffic and longer commute times. Lower population means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
- Rates may be lower depending on your job – Careers like judges, architects and dentists tend to have the highest average rates in part from job stress and lots of time spent at work. Other occupations like farmers, historians and the unemployed receive lower rates.
- Little extras can really add up – There are a ton of add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t careful. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and term life insurance may be wasting your money. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
- Protect your assets with liability insurance – Your policy’s liability coverage provides coverage if you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
- With age comes lower rates – Teenage drivers in Nebraska are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are more cautious drivers, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
- Battle of the sexes – Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, don’t assume that women are better drivers. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When buying the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Auburn?
- Does my vehicle need full coverage?
- What can I do if my company denied a claim?
- Am I getting all the discounts available?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- Should I buy only the required Nebraska minimum liability coverage?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.
But I prefer to buy car insurance from an agent
Some people would rather buy from a licensed agent. Agents can help determine the best coverages and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. Supporting local businesses is especially important in Auburn.
Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), the quote information is emailed to companies in Auburn who will battle for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to leave your house as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. How cool is that?!
Two types of Auburn auto insurance agents
When searching for a local agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents from which to choose. Insurance agencies in Auburn are categorized either captive or independent (non-captive). Both do a good job, but it’s good to learn the difference between them because it can influence buying decisions.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to include at a minimum one independent agency to get the best comparison.
Listed below are Auburn independent agents that can give you price quotes.
Casey Agency Inc – 1315 J St – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 274-4928
Auburn Agency Inc – 1202 Central Ave – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 274-4902
Engles Agency – 913 Central Ave – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 274-5100
Farm Bureau Insurance – 1919 J St – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 245-4255
German Mutual Insurance Assn – 914 Alden Dr – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 274-3106
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents can only write with one company like AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. They are unable to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.
The following is a list of captive insurance agents in Auburn that can give you comparison quotes.
American Family Insurance – 1219 J St – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 274-5368
Farm Bureau Insurance – 1919 J St – Auburn, NE 68305 – (402) 245-4255
To view a complete directory of captive insurance agents in Auburn, simply jump to this page.
Picking an insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
Upon receiving reasonable responses to all your questions and a good coverage price, you’ve probably found an insurance agent that meets your needs to adequately provide car insurance.
Buy online or local, you save
In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.
Affordable car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Auburn agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.
More sites with car insurance information
Additional information is located on the website for the Nebraska Department of Insurance through this link. Consumers can view a list of available companies, read state legal mandates and laws, and find out which companies have the most complaints.
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