Are you sick and tired of paying out the nose to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are no different than most other car owners in Vermont. Lots of car insurance companies contend for your hard-earned dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare car insurance companies and get the best coverage at the best price available.
If you have a policy now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these techniques to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Middlebury is easy if you know what you’re doing. Vermont vehicle owners just need to know the best way to shop their coverage around online.
How to Buy Middlebury Car Insurance Online
Most companies give prices for coverage on the web. Getting quotes is pretty easy as you just enter into a form. After you submit the form their rating system pulls your credit score and driving record and quotes a price. This simplifies rate comparisons, but the work required to visit different websites and enter the same data into a form gets old quite quickly. But it is imperative to get many rate quotes in order to get a lower rate.
The smarter way to find cheaper rates is to use a quote form that gets price quotes from a bunch of companies at once. This type of form saves time, eliminates form submissions, and makes rate comparisons much more enjoyable. After your information is entered, your coverage is rated and you can choose any one of the returned quotes. If you find a better price you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. It only takes a few minutes and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
In order to find out how much you’re overpaying now, simply click here to open in new window and enter your information. To compare your current rates, we recommend you duplicate deductibles and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will get a fair comparison for similar insurance coverage.
Don’t miss out on these money-saving discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list some of the more common as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags can receive discounts of 20% or more.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with a few car insurance companies.
- Sign Online – Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Insuring multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
- Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially compared to bad drivers.
A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.
To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Middlebury, click here to view.
Shop online but buy locally
Some people prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is OK! Agents can help determine the best coverages and give you peace of mind. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find lower rates and still choose a local agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information gets sent to insurance agents in Middlebury who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to drive around due to the fact that quote results will go straight to your inbox. Now that’s easy!
Deciding on an provider requires more thought than just a low price. These questions are important to ask:
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Vermont?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- How are they compensated?
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
What types of car insurance agents are in Middlebury?
If you’re trying to find a good Middlebury insurance agent, there are two different types of agents that you can select. Agencies in Middlebury can either be independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know how they are different because it can influence the selection process.
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents are contracted to one company and examples are Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Captives are very knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, the business is moved internally and that require little work on your part.
When comparing rates, you should always contact at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection.
Below is a short list of independent agents in Middlebury willing to provide price quote information.
Johnson Insurance – 85 Court St – Middlebury, VT 05753 – (802) 388-9928
Underwriter’s Agency-New Engln – 231 Court St – Middlebury, VT 05753 – (802) 382-1300
Co-Operative Insurance Co – 292 Colonial Dr – Middlebury, VT 05753 – (802) 388-7917
For a full directory of car insurance agents in Middlebury, please go to this site.
Upon getting acceptable answers to these questions and an affordable coverage quote, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to properly insure your vehicles.
How your Middlebury rates are determined
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get big savings.
Shown below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate your rates.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers like doctors, social workers and financial analysts have higher average rates because of high stress and long work days. Conversely, occupations such as actors, engineers and performers get better rates.
- Do you know you’re credit rating? – A driver’s credit score is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with lower ratings. So if your credit score is low, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating.
- The more you drive the more you pay – Driving more miles in a year the higher your rate. Most insurance companies rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your car insurance coverage properly reflects the proper vehicle usage.
- Battle of the sexes – Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, don’t assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving.
Final thoughts
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the best price on car insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive and Geico.
Cheap car insurance can be found both online in addition to many Middlebury insurance agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not provide online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
Even more information is available at the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation website. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, and read industry bulletins.