Comparison shopping for Owatonna auto insurance can seem to be difficult for beginners to buying insurance online. People have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a real hassle to compare prices in Owatonna.
If you have insurance now or need a new policy, you can use this information to find the best rates and still get good coverage. Pricing affordable protection in Owatonna is not that difficult. Minnesota consumers only need an understanding of the proper methods to buy auto insurance on the web.
Lower the Price of Insurance with These Tips
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better auto insurance rates.
- Clean credit earns discounts – Having a bad credit history is a large factor in determining your rates. Therefore, if your credit history is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your credit score. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit scores.
- More than one policy can earn a discount – Most insurance companies will give a discount to people who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still be able to find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
- Tickets mean higher rates – Only having one moving violation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers with severe tickets like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Little extras can really add up – There are a ton of extra coverages that can waste your money on your policy. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
How to Get Cheap Auto Insurance in Owatonna
Cutting your Owatonna auto insurance rates can be surprisingly simple. You just need to spend a few minutes comparing price quotes online from several insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- The best way to find low rates is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do boring form submissions for every auto insurance company. A single form will get you price quotes from all major companies. Just one form and you’re done.
- A less efficient way to analyze rates is spending the time to visit the website for each individual company to request a price quote. For instance, let’s say you want rates from Liberty Mutual, Esurance and Farmers. You would have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Owatonna, click here.
- The hardest method to get comparison rates is driving to insurance agents’ offices. Shopping for auto insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you want the professional advice of a local agent. However, consumers can compare online quotes and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll touch on that later.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make darn sure you compare identical information on every quote you get. If the quotes have different liability limits it’s not possible to determine which rate is truly the best in Owatonna.
Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?
Consumers in Minnesota can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico. All the companies make the same claim of big savings after switching to them.
How does each company claim to save you money?
Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the right customer that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, owns a home, and has excellent credit. A driver who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when they switch companies.
Drivers who do not match the requirements will be charged higher premiums which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings.
That is why you should get quotes from several different companies. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be inquired about in order for you to get them. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are paying more than you should be.
- Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
- Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
- Sign Online – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy over the internet.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings due to the fact that maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and will save you 10% or more.
- No Charge for an Accident – A few companies permit an accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags can receive discounts of more than 20%.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way. But all discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Owatonna, click here to view.
Are insurance agents obsolete?
Some consumers would rather sit down with an agent and that is just fine! Licensed agents can point out coverage gaps and help you file claims. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can obtain lower rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for local businesses is important particularly in Owatonna.
For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is immediately sent to local insurance agents in Owatonna who will compete for your business. There is no need to drive around as quotes are delivered directly to your email. Now that’s easy!
Captive and independent Owatonna insurance agents
When searching for a local agent, there are a couple of different agency structures to choose from. Owatonna agents can either be captive or independent (non-captive). Both write coverage properly, but it’s worth mentioning how they are different since it may influence the type of agent you choose
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, it’s recommended you include several independent insurance agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.Most can insure with smaller regional carriers which may provide better rates.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in Owatonna that are able to give price quotes.
- Gene Drake Agency – 116 E Broadway St – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 451-1168
- Rich Anderson Agency – 212 S Oak Ave – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 455-3501
- Hedstrom Insurance Inc – 140 E Rose St – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 451-9001
- Country Insurance and Financial – 660 W Bridge St – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 451-6160
- Cahoon Agency Inc – 328 W Bridge St – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 451-7735
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents have only one company to place business with such as State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They are unable to shop your coverage around so keep that in mind. Captive agencies are well schooled on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents. Some consumers prefer to purchase coverage from captives mostly because of the prominence of the brand and strong financial ratings.
Listed below are captive agencies in Owatonna who can help you get price quote information.
- State Farm Insurance – 203 S Oak Ave – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 451-4866
- Farm Bureau S Central Region – 342 W Bridge St – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 455-0745
- Farmers Insurance Group – 113 E Pearl St – Owatonna, MN 55060 – (507) 451-1111
For a complete listing of auto insurance agents in Owatonna, go to this page.
Deciding on an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
After getting positive responses to your questions and an acceptable price quote, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to properly insure your vehicles.
Much more information about auto insurance in Minnesota is available on the Minnesota Department of Commerce website found here. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, find disaster information, and file complaints about a company.
Smart consumers save more
People change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as being labeled a high risk driver, policy cancellation, not issuing a premium refund or delays in responding to claim requests. No matter why you want to switch, switching companies can be less work than you think.
In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from a small local company.
Budget-conscious auto insurance can be sourced on the web and also from your neighborhood Owatonna agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.