Learn How to Quote Clayton, MO Car Insurance Like an Expert

Are you burned out from not being able to scrape enough together to buy car insurance? You have the same problem as many other Missouri consumers. Many auto insurance companies vie for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and uncover the absolute lowest rate

How to lower your car insurance cost in Clayton

Reducing your insurance rates is an easy way to save money. All that’s required is to invest a little time to get quotes from online providers. Price comparisons can be done by following the guidelines below.

  • Hands down the most simple method to get quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison click here to open form in new window. This style of form keeps you from doing separate forms to each individual car insurance company. Completing one form will return price quotes from all major companies.
  • A more difficult way to obtain and compare quotes online is to take the time to go to the website for every company you want to comare to request a price quote. For instance, let’s assume you want to view quotes from USAA, Geico and Allstate. To find out each rate you need to spend time going to each site individually and enter your information, and that explains why we recommend the first method. For a list of links to insurance companies in Clayton, click here.
  • The most difficult way to comparison shop to local Clayton insurance agencies. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you want the trained guidance that only a licensed agent can provide. It is possible with some companies compare online quotes and have a local agent actually service the policy.

How you compare quotes is your choice, just be sure to compare apples-to-apples quote data with every price quote. If you enter differing limits it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison in Clayton.

Save a ton by earning discounts

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you may be missing some discounts that you may not even know about. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but some need to be inquired about before they will apply.

  • Multiple Vehicles – Insuring all your vehicles with one company qualifies for this discount.
  • Claim Free – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay less in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
  • Active Service Discounts – Being on active deployment in the military could be rewarded with lower prices.
  • Student Discount for Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in school.
  • Discount for Life Insurance – Not all car insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a break if you buy a life policy as well.

One thing to note about discounts is that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So despite the fact that it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

Auto insurance companies that possibly offer many of the previously listed discounts include:

Before you buy a policy, ask all the companies the best way to save money. Some credits may not apply to policyholders in Clayton.

Make wise decisions and cut your costs

One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. When you understand what influences your rates, this allows you to make good choices that can earn you big savings.

The following are some of the items companies use to determine your premiums.

  • Drive less and pay lower prices – The more you drive in a year’s time the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers calculate prices partially by how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks left parked in the garage cost less to insure than those that get driven frequently. It’s always a good idea to double check that your car insurance policy reflects the correct usage.
  • High credit scores save money – An insured’s credit history will be a significant factor in calculating your premium rate. People that have very high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with bad credit. Therefore, if your credit score could use some work, you may save money insuring your vehicle by spending a little time repairing your credit.
  • Safety ratings are a factor – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to be cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries translates directly to fewer claims which can result in lower premiums.
  • Premiums go up with performance – The make and model of the car or truck you are buying insurance for makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. Lower cost passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but your final cost has many other factors.
  • Liability coverage limits should be high – Your car insurance policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if ever you are found to be at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Your policy’s liability insurance provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Liability insurance is pretty cheap compared to other policy coverages, so do not skimp.
  • Adjust physical damage deductibles and save – Comp and collision deductibles define how much the insured will be required to pay if the claim is covered. Protection for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims could be collision with another vehicle, collision with a deer, and having a roll-over accident. The larger the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.
  • Gender as a rate factor – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females tend to be a little less risky than males. This data doesn’t prove that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both genders have accidents at a similar rate, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Not only are claims higher, but men have more aggressive citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
  • Never have car insurance lapses – Driving without insurance coverage in place can get you a ticket and companies may charge more for letting your insurance lapse. In addition to paying higher rates, getting caught without coverage might get you a license revocation or jail time. Then you may be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Missouri motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.

Auto insurance agents can help

Certain consumers just prefer to talk to an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind Most agents can make sure you are properly covered and help file insurance claims. The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find the best rates but also keep your business local. And supporting neighborhood insurance agencies is definitely important in Clayton.

By using this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is submitted to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your coverage. There is no need to contact any agents because prices are sent to the email address you provide. If you need to compare prices for a specific company, you just need to jump over to their website to submit a rate quote request.Clayton MO car insurance quote

Independent or Captive: It’s your choice

If you want to buy car insurance from a reputable insurance agent or broker, it’s helpful to know the different types of agents to choose from. Agents can be described as either independent or captive. Either one can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know the difference in the companies they write for since it may influence buying decisions.

Independent Insurance Agents

Agents that elect to be independent are normally appointed by many insurers and that allows them to write policies amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your premiums go up, the business is moved internally and that require little work on your part. When shopping rates, we highly recommend that you get insurance quotes from at a minimum one independent agency in order to compare the most rates.

Featured below is a list of independent insurance agencies in Clayton that may be able to give cheap rate quotes.

Leroy Berry Insurance Inc – 950 Francis Pl # 101 – Clayton, MO 63105 – (314) 727-9393
Flanigan Insurance – 222 S Central Ave # 802 – Clayton, MO 63105 – (314) 727-6000

Captive Agencies

Captive agencies write business for a single company and examples are Farmers Insurance, Allstate, or State Farm. Captive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captive agencies are highly trained on their products and sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents.

Below are captive agents in Clayton that are able to give price quote information.

American Family Insurance – 7710 Carondelet Ave – Clayton, MO 63105 – (314) 862-3301

To contact agencies in your neighborhood, see this complete selection of Clayton Missouri car insurance providers.

Finding the right insurance agent should include more criteria than just a low price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

  • How many companies do they write for?
  • Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
  • If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
  • How long have they been in business?
  • What insurance company do they write the most business with?
  • Can glass claims be handled at your home?
  • Do they have designations such as AIC, CPCU, or CIC?

Additional car insurance information can be found on the website for the Missouri Department of Insurance located here. Missouri consumers can view agent and company licensing information, report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and discover disciplinary actions.

Other related articles:

Clayton insurance comparisons

Can you really save if you switch?

Missouri drivers can’t avoid all the ads that claim the lowest premium rates by State Farm, Allstate and Geico. All the ads convey the message that you’ll save big if you move your coverage.

But how can every company make the same claim? You have to listen carefully.

Most companies can use profiling for the type of insured that will most likely be profitable. For instance, a profitable customer may need to be over the age of 45, has never had a claim, and chooses high deductibles. Anyone that matches those criteria will most likely get cheap prices and will most likely save quite a bit of money when switching.

People who may not quite match those standards will see higher rates which results in the customer buying from a different company. The ads state “drivers that switch” not “everyone who quotes” can get the lowest rates when switching. That’s the way insurance companies can advertise the savings.

Different companies use different criteria so you should quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict the company that will be your best fit.

Summing up your car insurance search

We just covered some good ideas how you can reduce car insurance premium rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding . You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.

More affordable car insurance is definitely available both online as well as from independent agents in Clayton, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies do not provide rate quotes online and many times these smaller companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agents.