Have you had enough of scraping the payment together to buy car insurance? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Big companies like State Farm, Farmers Insurance, Geico and Allstate constantly bombard you with ad campaigns and it is challenging if not impossible to see through the deception and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
If you have a current auto insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you can learn to shop for the lowest rates and still get good coverage. Finding affordable coverage in Marshalltown is quite easy. Iowa vehicle owners only need an understanding of the most efficient way to compare company rates online.
Vehicle Insurance Comparison
Most companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive quote insurance quotes on their websites. Getting online rates is fairly straightforward as you simply type in your required coverages into a form. When complete, their system automatically retrieves credit information and your driving record and returns pricing information. Online quotes streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit different websites and complete many quote forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s absolutely necessary to do this if you are searching for better auto insurance pricing.
The better way to compare rates
A less time-consuming method to compare rates requires only one form to get prices from several different companies. It’s a real time-saver, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes price shopping online much more enjoyable. After sending the form, your coverage is rated and you can choose any one of the resulting price quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and purchase the new policy. This process only takes a few minutes and may result in a nice savings.
To save time and use this form to compare rates, click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend that you enter exactly as they are listed on your policy. This makes sure you will have a rate comparison using the same coverage and limits.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always list all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you are throwing money away.
- No Accidents – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less as compared to frequent claim filers.
- Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
- Multiple Cars – Having all your vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a deployed family member can result in better rates.
- Distant Student – Any of your kids who are attending college and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
- Senior Citizens – Mature drivers may be able to get reduced rates.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
It’s important to note that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
For a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Iowa, click this link.
Smart Consumers Save More
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.
- Extra coverages can waste money – There are many add-on coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Things like rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- What are your deductibles? – Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are collision with another vehicle, damage from fire, and windstorm damage. Your deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your auto insurance pays a claim. The more expense the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Pleasure use saves money – Driving more miles in a year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Autos left parked in the garage get more affordable rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your auto insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage.
- Do you have a high stress job? – Jobs such as doctors, social workers and accountants tend to pay higher rates than average due to stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, occupations such as actors, athletes and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
- Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability coverage will protect you when a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. It provides legal defense starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not cut corners here.
- Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Compare online but buy from a local Marshalltown agent
Some consumers just want to buy from a licensed agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Agents can point out coverage gaps and help in the event of a claim. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can obtain the lowest rates but also keep your business local.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, the coverage information is immediately sent to local insurance agents who will compete for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to leave your house since price quotes are sent immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy!
Selecting a company needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Some important questions to ask are:
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
Listed below is a short list of car insurance companies in Marshalltown that can give you price quotes.
American Family Insurance – 2501 S Center St, Marshalltown, IA 50158 – (641) 752-6367
State Farm Insurance – 207 E Church St, Marshalltown, IA 50158 – (641) 752-0979
Wade Johnson Agency – 307 W Main St, Marshalltown, IA 50158 – (641) 752-8538
Allstate Insurance – 2007 S Center St # B, Marshalltown, IA 50158 – (641) 752-4904
Tom Moeller Insurance – 27 S Center St, Marshalltown, IA 50158 – (641) 752-8114
After receiving answers to your satisfaction to any questions you have and an affordable coverage quote, you have narrowed it down to a company that meets your needs to properly insure your vehicles.
Car insurance is unique, just like you
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there is no cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- Am I covered when driving a rental car?
- Should I buy only the required Iowa minimum liability coverage?
- Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
- When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.
Even more information can be found at the Iowa Insurance Division website. Iowa drivers can find disaster information, read consumer alerts, and read industry bulletins.
Additional helpful sites include QuoteClickInsure.com and this page where you can research Marshalltown insurance agents.
Summing up your auto insurance search
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
Cheaper auto insurance is possible on the web as well as from independent agents in Marshalltown, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
We covered a lot of ways to get a better price on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the best price on auto insurance is with a small local company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.