If you’ve never shopped for car insurance online, you may be confused by the sheer number of online car insurance companies and websites offering insurance in Lynn.
The purpose of this article is to help you learn the best way to quote coverages and some tips to save money. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Although Massachusetts consumers do need to understand how the larger insurance companies sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.
Comprehensive Lynn Car Insurance Comparison Quotes
Most companies like Allstate and Progressive give coverage price quotes online. Getting quotes is pretty painless as you simply type in your coverage information into the quote form. When complete, the company’s rating system sends out for credit information and your driving record and generates a price determined by many factors.
This simplifies rate comparisons, but the time required to go to a lot of sites and type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s very important to do this if you want to find a lower rate.
A more efficient way to get multiple rate quotes makes use of a single form to return rates from multiple companies. This type of form saves time, eliminates form submissions, and makes price shopping online a lot less work. Immediately after submitting the form, your coverage is rated and you are able to buy any one of the returned quotes.
If you find a better price it’s easy to complete the application and purchase coverage. The whole process can be completed in a matter of minutes and could lower your rates considerably.
To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you complete the form with the coverage information exactly as they are listed on your policy. This ensures you’re receiving a price comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.
Lots of discounts mean lots of savings
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked about before you will receive the discount.
- Clubs and Organizations – Participating in a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
- No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Resident Student – Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
- Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home can save you money because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can reduce accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Accident Forgiveness – Some insurance companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
- Defensive Driving Course – Completing a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.
For a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Massachusetts, click here.
Make smart decisions and save
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
Listed below are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate rates.
- Men pay higher rates – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes cause accidents in similar numbers, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving.
- Being married can save on car insurance – Having a spouse can get you a discount on your policy. It means you’re more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- The type of vehicle makes a difference – The make and model of the vehicle you drive makes a big difference in determining your rates. The most favorable rates are for small economy passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Never allow your policy to lapse – Not having insurance is a misdemeanor and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you a license revocation or jail time.You may then be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Massachusetts department of motor vehicles.
- Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Occupations such as judges, architects and stock brokers have the highest rates due to high stress and long work days. On the other hand, occupations like actors, students and performers get better rates.
Situations that might require an agent
When it comes to choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different.
For instance, these questions could help you determine if your situation could use an agent’s help.
- I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- Should I buy additional glass protection?
- Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
- Do I need motorclub coverage?
- Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form.
Much more information about car insurance in Massachusetts can be found on the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website through this link. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, read state legal mandates and laws, file complaints about a company, and find out industry alerts.
Also read more on this page for Massachusetts car insurance and see this list of insurance agents in Lynn.
Slick advertising tricks that work
Companies like Allstate and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you switch to their company. But how can every company make the same claim? This is how they do it.
All the different companies can use profiling for the driver that is profitable for them. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 40, has no prior claims, and has a high credit rating. A customer who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential customers who don’t measure up to this ideal profile will have to pay more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.
Because of the profiling, you should quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.
And the best car insurance company is…
We just showed you a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies.
Affordable car insurance can be bought from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Lynn agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big error on their part. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.