Sick and tired of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Nebraska drivers. Because you have many choices, it can be challenging to choose the most affordable provider.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of purchase, but some may not be applied and must be asked for in order for you to get them. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less than less cautious drivers.
- Save with a New Car – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
- Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home can help you save on auto insurance because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck. But any discount will help reduce your overall premium however.
Factors that affect insurance rates
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that help determine auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.
The following are some of the items used by your company to calculate rates.
- Higher deductibles cost less – Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply would be a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. The more money you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
- Do you know you’re credit rating? – Having a bad credit rating is a big factor in your rate calculation. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with poor credit. So if your credit can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
- Too many auto insurance claims drive up costs – Car insurance companies in Nebraska give cheaper rates to people who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for larger claims.
- Liability coverage is cheap – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you if ever a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Occupations such as lawyers, social workers and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates attributed to stressful work requirements and long work days. Other jobs such as scientists, historians and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
- Multi-policy discounts can save money – Most insurance companies will give a discount to people who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it’s in your best interest to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money.
- Do you need those extra coverages? – There are a ton of add-on coverages that you can buy on your policy. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
- Theft deterrents lower rates – Owning a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft features like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent car theft.
But I don’t know anything about car insurance
When choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions can aid in determining if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.
- Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
- Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
- Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
- How much liability coverage do I need in Nebraska?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Am I getting all the discounts available?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Buying auto insurance from a local agent
Some people would rather talk to a local agent and that is just fine! Agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is you can get lower rates and still choose a local agent. And supporting small agencies is important especially in Gretna.
By using this quick form, your insurance data is instantly submitted to companies in Gretna who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. There is no need to drive around because quoted prices will be sent to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy!
Types of insurance agents
If you’re trying to find a good insurance agency, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents to choose from. Gretna agents are either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the difference between them since it may influence your selection of an agent.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles with multiple insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to contact at least one independent agent for the best price selection.
Below are independent insurance agencies in Gretna that may be able to provide price quote information.
A B Clark Insurance – 20378 Husker Dr – Gretna, NE 68028 – (402) 332-5800
Daniel Washburn Agency – 101 Enterprise Dr – Gretna, NE 68028 – (402) 332-4727
Steven Shawn Linehan Insurance – 216 Enterprise Dr – Gretna, NE 68028 – (402) 332-5346
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agencies have only one company to place business with like Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captives are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage.
Listed below are Gretna captive agencies willing to provide rate quotes.
Shelter Insurance – 11855 S 216th St – Gretna, NE 68028 – (402) 916-9155
Farmers Insurance Group – 602 N Highway 6 – Gretna, NE 68028 – (402) 332-3300
Allstate Insurance Co – 109 Cort Plz – Gretna, NE 68028 – (402) 332-0444
To view a full list of Gretna captive insurance agents, please go to this site.
Deciding on a car insurance agent requires more thought than just the bottom line cost. These are valid questions to ask:
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Are they full-time agents?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
Upon getting answers to your satisfaction in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that is a good match to insure your vehicles.
Is there deception in advertising?
Nebraska consumers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to say the same thing that you can save if you switch your coverage to them.
How do they all make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies can use profiling for the type of driver they prefer to insure. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and has excellent credit. Any driver who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who don’t meet this ideal profile will have to pay more money which leads to business not being written. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.
Because of the profiling, you need to compare many company’s rates. It’s not possible to predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.
More information can be found on the website for the Nebraska Department of Insurance through this link. Nebraska drivers can view a list of available companies, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and report car insurance fraud.
These articles may also be worth reading.
Final thoughts
When you buy insurance online, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just showed you many tips how you can reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and Geico.
Affordable auto insurance can be found online in addition to many Gretna insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies do not provide online quoting and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.