Are you overwhelmed by the wide range of auto insurance companies in Ottumwa? Lot’s of other consumers are too. People have so many companies to choose from that it can easily become a challenge to compare prices.
Pricing the cheapest auto insurance in Ottumwa is not that difficult. If you have a policy now or are just looking to switch companies, you will benefit by learning to find better prices and still get good coverage. Iowa drivers only need an understanding of the most effective way to compare price quotes online.
What determines how much you pay?
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates enables informed choices that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.
- Safer cars cost less to insure – Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. These vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity translates into savings for insurance companies and thus lower rates.
- More miles equals more premium – Driving more miles in a year’s time the more you will pay for auto insurance. Most companies apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars not used for work or commuting receive lower rates than those used for commuting. Ask your agent if your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- How’s your driving record? – Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Drivers with flagrant tickets like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
- Occupation reflects on rates – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Occupations such as doctors, business owners and financial analysts tend to have higher average rates in part from stressful work requirements and long work hours. Conversely, jobs such as farmers, engineers and homemakers receive lower rates.
Ottumwa Auto Insurance Quote Comparison
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can be a daunting task if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You could waste a few hours discussing policy coverages with agents in Ottumwa, or you can stay home and use online quoting to get prices fast.
Many of the larger companies take part in a program where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and every company returns a rated price based on the submitted data. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions to every company.
To find out how much you can save on auto insurance click here (opens in new window).
The only drawback to pricing coverage this way is you don’t know exactly which companies to receive prices from. If you would rather choose specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we have assembled a list of low cost auto insurance companies in Iowa. Click here to view list.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage limits on every quote. If you have higher or lower deductibles it’s impossible to make an equal comparison in Ottumwa.
How much can you save with discounts?
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to cut the cost considerably. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time you complete a quote, but a few must be specially asked for in order for you to get them. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.
- New Car Discount – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
- Accident Waiver – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
- Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
- 55 and Retired – Mature drivers may be able to get reduced rates.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will help reduce your premiums.
For a list of companies with the best auto insurance discounts in Iowa, click here to view.
Additional auto insurance information is located on the Iowa Insurance Division website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, read state legal mandates and laws, view agent and company licensing information, and learn about specific coverages.
Smart consumers save more
People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including delays in paying claims, poor customer service, an unsatisfactory settlement offer and delays in responding to claim requests. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new company is not as difficult as it may seem.
You just learned some good ideas how you can compare auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best prices are with the smaller companies.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where someone dropped collision coverage and learned later that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price.