Buying the lowest cost Webster car insurance over the internet is intimidating for consumers new to online price comaprisons. With so many choices of choices, how can you have a chance to compare every company to locate the cheapest available price?
Finding affordable coverage in Webster is easy if you know what you’re doing. Basically, every vehicle owner who is required by state law to have car insurance most likely will be able to reduce their rates. Nevertheless, South Dakota consumers can benefit by having an understanding of the methods companies use to determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t list all available discounts very well, so we researched both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.
- Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
- Save with a New Car – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with a few car insurance companies.
- Defensive Driver – Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
- Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accidents.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you’re out of luck.
To see a list of providers who offer car insurance discounts in South Dakota, click here.
Many Things Influence your Rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
- Policy add-ons can waste money – There are many additional coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and term life insurance may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good initially, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
- Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates – Owning a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
- Don’t let your coverage lapse – Allowing your car insurance policy to lapse will be a sure-fire way to pay more for car insurance. Not only will rates go up, failure to provide proof of insurance will get you a revoked license or a big fine.
- Lower miles equals lower premium – The more miles you rack up on your car each year the more you will pay for car insurance. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Cars left parked in the garage get more affordable rates than those used for commuting. Make sure your car insurance policy properly reflects how each vehicle is driven.
- Do men or women drive better? – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, don’t assume that women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving.
- How many coverages with the same company – Most insurance companies will give a discount to policyholders who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it’s still a good idea to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Additional detailed information is located at the South Dakota Division of Insurance website. South Dakota drivers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, download brochures, and find disaster information.
Final thoughts
When shopping online for car insurance, never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where an insured cut collision coverage and learned later that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, poor customer service, not issuing a premium refund and even lack of trust in their agent. Regardless of your reason, switching car insurance companies is not as difficult as it may seem.
Cost effective car insurance is definitely available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Webster agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.