Are you burned out from wondering where the money will come from each month for auto insurance? You have the same problem as many other Georgia consumers. Popular companies such as Geico, Progressive and Allstate all claim big savings with catchy ads and consumers find it hard to avoid their marketing magic and find the best price available.
Double check you’re getting with these discounts
Auto insurance is expensive, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time you complete a quote, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having an actively deployed family member can result in better rates.
- Driver Training Discounts – Passing a driver safety course may get you a small discount and also improve your driving technique.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices have a lower chance of being stolen and earn discounts up to 10% off your .
- 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get a slight reduction on a .
- First Accident Forgiveness – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like State Farm, Progressive and Geico will let one accident slide without raising rates so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
- Seat Belt Usage – Forcing all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts can save a little off the PIP or medical payment premium.
Please keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, it’s just not the way it works.
Companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are shown below.
- Geico policyholders can earn discounts including military active duty, multi-policy, defensive driver, daytime running lights, driver training, and emergency military deployment.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts for multiple vehicles, paid in full, group or association, teen driver, and anti-theft.
- American Family may offer discounts for defensive driver, bundled insurance, air bags, TimeAway discount, and good driver.
- Esurance discounts include good student, anti-theft, multi-car, Pac-12 alumni, renters, online quote, and emergency road assistance.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, homeowner, good student, and multi-policy.
- State Farm includes discounts for driver’s education, anti-theft, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, multiple autos, defensive driving training, and student away at school.
- AAA may have discounts that include multi-policy, multi-car, AAA membership discount, good student, anti-theft, education and occupation, and pay-in-full.
Double check with each company what discounts are available to you. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not apply in your area. For a list of auto insurance companies that have a full spectrum of discounts in Georgia, follow this link.
Smart buyers can cut their costs
Lots of factors are considered when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving history, although others are more obscure like where you live or your commute time. 
- Prevent theft and save – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can earn a premium discount. Theft deterrent systems like OnStar found on GM vehicles, advanced tracking like LoJack, and vehicle immobilization systems all help prevent car theft and help bring rates down.
- Little extras can really add up – Policies have extra coverages that can waste your money if you don’t pay attention. Coverages like rental car coverage, accidental death, and term life insurance are some examples. The coverages may be enticing when talking to your agent, but if you’ve never needed them in the past consider taking them off your policy.
- Get better rates if married – Having a wife or husband may earn you lower rates when buying auto insurance. It translates into being more mature than a single person and insurance companies like that married drivers tend to file fewer claims.
- Stressful vocation may mean higher auto insurance rates – Occupational choices like doctorsairline pilots and emergency personnel tend to pay higher rates than the rest of us attributed to intense work situations and long work days. On the other hand, jobs like farmers, historians and the unemployed receive lower rates.
- Five star safety rating saves money – Vehicles that have high safety ratings cost less to insure. The safest vehicles reduce occupant injuries and reduced instances of injuries means your insurance company pays less and lower rates for you.
- Never let your auto insurance policy expire – Having an insurance coverage lapse will be a sure-fire way to increase your rates. In addition to paying higher premiums, not being able to provide proof of insurance could earn you a revoked license or a big fine. Then you may be required to file a SR-22 with the Georgia motor vehicle department.
The auto insurance bait and switch
Consumers in Georgia can’t escape the ads that promise big savings for switching by companies like State Farm and Allstate. All the ads have a common claim that drivers can save some big amount after switching your coverage to them.
How do they all charge lower premium rates?
All the different companies have specific criteria for the type of insured that will most likely be profitable. For example, a profitable risk profile may need to be over the age of 45, has no driving citations, and insures a new vehicle. Any customer that meets those criteria will probably get the lowest rates and will most likely save if they switch.
Potential insureds who fall short of this ideal profile will have to pay a higher rate which leads to business not being written. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers who switch” not “all people who quote” can get the lowest rates when switching. That’s the way insurance companies can claim big savings. Because of these techniques, you need to quotes as often as possible. Because you never know which auto insurance company will give you lower car insurance rates than your current company.
Even more information is located at the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Georgia consumers can view a list of available companies, read state legal mandates and laws, view agent and company licensing information, and report car insurance fraud.
The following articles may also be useful.
- Lowest Prices from West Monroe Car Insurance Companies
- Car Insurance in Monroe 7 Discounts Drivers are Forgetting
One last thing to lower rates
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best cost while still protecting your assets.
The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced both online and also from your neighborhood Monroe agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies may not offer online price quotes and many times these smaller companies sell through independent insurance agencies.