Perplexed by the dozens of auto insurance companies available to you? You’re not alone. You have so many choices that it can quickly become a real hassle to find lower prices. Lewisburg is an excellent city in which to live, but high auto insurance premiums can make it very difficult to be able to buy decent coverage.
Smart consumers take time to get comparison quotes once or twice a year because auto insurance rates trend upward over time. Even if you got the best deal two years ago you may be paying too much now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you the right way to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
All the larger auto insurance companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive allow you to get insurance quotes on their websites. Comparing rates online is easy for anyone because it’s just a matter of typing in the coverages you want on the page. Once entered, the quote system obtains your driving and credit reports and generates a price.
Online price estimates helps simplify price comparisons, but the time required to go to each company’s website and repetitively type in the same information can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to do this if you are searching for the lowest auto insurance rates.
Keep reading for an easier way to compare prices
A quicker way to find lower prices requires only one form to get prices from several different companies. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes online price comparison much more enjoyable. After sending your information, it gets priced and you are able to buy any one of the quotes returned. If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. It takes just a few minutes to complete and you will know how your current rates stack up.
To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, simply click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. To compare your current rates, we recommend you replicate the coverage information as close as possible to your current policy. This way, you are getting rate quotes based on similar coverages.
The auto insurance bait and switch
Tennessee drivers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all state the claim that you’ll save big after switching your policy.
Is it even possible that every company can sell you cheaper insurance coverage? It’s all in the words they use.
Insurance companies require specific criteria for a prospective insured that will be a good risk. One example of a desirable risk might be described as between 30 and 50, has a low-risk occupation, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. Any driver who matches that profile will get a cheap rate quote and have a good chance to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who fall short of these stringent criteria will see a higher rate and the driver buying from a lower-cost company. If you pay attention, the ads say “people that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save the amount stated. This is how companies can truthfully make it sound like they have such great rates. Because each company has a different risk profile, drivers must do a rate comparison at every renewal. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will have the best prices for your profile.
Auto insurance policy discounts
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but less common discounts must be specially asked for before you get the savings.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-115.jpg" alt="Tennessee auto insurance“/>
- Savings for New Vehicles – Insuring a vehicle that is new can get you a discount compared to insuring an older model.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member may lower your premium rates slightly.
- Claim Free – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims pay less in comparison to bad drivers.
- Drive Less and Save – Keeping the miles down could earn lower auto insurancerates on the low mileage vehicles.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them successfully complete driver’s ed class in school or through a local driver safety program.
- Telematics Discount – Drivers who elect to allow their company to study where and when they drive by installing a telematics device such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could see a rate decrease if they exhibit good driving behavior.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck.
Popular auto insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are shown below.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, homeowner, online signing, good student, and online quote discount.
- AAA may offer discounts for pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, anti-theft, good student, and good driver.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including distant student, teen driver, homeowner, early shopping, pay in full, and mature driver.
- Geico offers discounts for federal employee, military active duty, seat belt use, five-year accident-free, multi-policy, daytime running lights, and driver training.
- Esurance may include discounts for good student, Switch & Save, homeowner, anti-lock brakes, emergency road assistance, anti-theft, and safety device.
- SAFECO offers discounts including teen safety rewards, homeowner, anti-theft, multi-car, drive less, and anti-lock brakes.
- State Farm discounts include Steer Clear safe driver discount, safe vehicle, multiple autos, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and defensive driving training.
Check with all companies you are considering how many discounts you can get. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be available in Lewisburg. If you would like to view providers that offer multiple discounts in Tennessee, click this link.
Compare rates but buy from a local Lewisburg insurance agent
Many people still prefer to buy from a licensed agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Most agents can answer important questions and help you file claims. A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is that drivers can save money and get the best rates and still have a local agent.
Upon completion of this quick form, your coverage information is sent to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your coverage. You won’t need to search for an agent as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. In the event you want to get a price quote from a specific insurance company, you just need to jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.
Deciding on an company should include more criteria than just the bottom line cost. The questions below may impact your decision as well.
- Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents?
- How is replacement cost determined on your vehicle?
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
- By raising physical damage deductibles, how much would you save?
- Are they able to provide referrals?
If you want to use a local insurance agency, you should know the different types of agencies that you can select. Auto insurance agencies can be categorized as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both can sell auto insurance policies, but it’s good to learn the difference in how they write coverage because it can factor into buying decisions.
Captive Insurance Agents
Agents in the captive channel can only write with one company and some examples include American Family, State Farm, and Allstate. Captive agents cannot provide prices from multiple companies so you might not find the best rates. They are trained well on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents. Consumers often use the same captive agent mostly because of the brand and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Listed below are captive insurance agents in Lewisburg that are able to give rate quotes.
- State Farm Insurance – 744 W Commerce St – Lewisburg, TN 37091 – (931) 359-3998
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 326 W Commerce St – Lewisburg, TN 37091 – (931) 359-6661
- Allstate Insurance Co – 1214 Nashville Hwy – Lewisburg, TN 37091 – (931) 359-0802
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents are not restriced to one company so they can quote policies with lots of companies and find you the best rates. If prices rise, your policy is moved internally which makes it simple for you. When comparison shopping, we highly recommend that you contact a few independent agents in order to have the best price comparison. They also have the ability to place coverage with companies you’ve never heard of which could offer lower prices.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in Lewisburg that can give you comparison quotes.
- Nationwide Insurance – 724 W Commerce St – Lewisburg, TN 37091 – (931) 359-6623
- Everett Insurance – 438 W Commerce St – Lewisburg, TN 37091 – (931) 359-7527
For more auto insurance agents in Lewisburg, you may want to view this directory of auto insurance agencies in Lewisburg.
More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance website. Consumers can learn about insurance regulations, view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, and view agent and company licensing information.
Also read more on III.org’s auto insurance page and this page of insurance agents in Lewisburg.
Don’t give up on affordable coverage
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. The goal is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price and still be able to protect your assets.
Insureds who switch companies do it for many reasons like high prices, denial of a claim, being labeled a high risk driver and an unsatisfactory settlement offer. No matter why you want to switch, finding the right auto insurance provider can be easier than you think.
Throughout this article, we presented many ideas to compare auto insurance car insurance rates online. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the most savings is with the smaller companies.