Are you sick and tired of not being able to afford each month for car insurance? You are no different than most other car owners in Washington. Since consumers have many different company options, it can be impossible to locate the lowest price provider.
This information will introduce you to how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. Washington drivers just need to know how to get comparison quotes online.
Compare Des Moines Car Insurance Costs
Finding lower Des Moines car insurance rates isn’t really that difficult. The only requirement is to invest a little time to get quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- The single most time-saving way to find the lowest comparison rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This easy form prevents you from having to do separate forms for every car insurance company. One form submission compares rates direct from many companies.
- A more time consuming way to compare rate quotes consists of going to each company website to request a price quote. For examples sake, let’s say you want to compare rates from Auto-Owners, Esurance and State Farm. You would have to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to insurance companies in Des Moines, click here.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you’re using the exact same coverage limits and deductibles for each comparison quote. If you compare different values for each quote then you won’t be able to make a fair comparison in Des Moines.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Car insurance can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts to help bring down the price. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for before you get the savings. If you don’t get every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Washington, click here.
Insurance agents can help
When it comes to choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions might point out if you could use an agent’s help.
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
- Is Washington a no-fault state?
- Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short 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.
How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that play a part in calculating car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
Shown below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate prices.
- Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
- Proper usage rating affects rates – The more you drive in a year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your car insurance policy properly reflects the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
- Women pay lower rates – The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving.
- Lower deductibles cost more – Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply could be colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. Deductibles for physical damage are the amount of money you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Older drivers pay less – Young drivers in Washington have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted when driving so car insurance rates are higher. If you’ve ever had to add a teen driver onto a policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
- Small claims can cost you – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies in Washington generally give cheaper rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
Misconceptions in car insurance advertisements
Washington consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from the likes of State Farm, Allstate and Geico. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you change your coverage to them.
How does each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.
Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer could be a mature driver, owns a home, and has excellent credit. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential insureds who don’t meet these standards will be quoted higher prices and ends up with business not being written. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.
This emphasizes why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which car insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Smart consumers save more
Affordable car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Des Moines, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies don’t offer online quoting and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
You just read some good ideas how to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the best price on car insurance is with the smaller companies. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate and Progressive.
Washington insurance information
Additional information is located on the website for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner located here. Washington consumers can file complaints about a company, download brochures, find a variety of consumer forms, and find disaster information.
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