Finding a different company that has can seem difficult if you haven’t ever used rate quotes online. But don’t be dismayed because online price shopping is actually quite simple.
Most companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm allow you to get prices for coverage directly from their websites. Doing online quotes is fairly straightforward as you just enter your personal and coverage information into the quote form. After you complete the form, the system will obtain your driving record and credit report and quotes a price based on the data you entered.
Online price quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively complete many quote forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s very important to have as many quotes as possible if you want to get lower prices.
The easy way to compare rates
An easier way to compare rates is to use a quote form to obtain quotes from a lot of companies. It saves time, requires much less work on your part, and makes online price comparison much more efficient. Immediately after submitting the form, it is quoted and you can choose any or none of the price quotes you receive.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and could lower your rates considerably.
To save time and compare rates using this form now, simply click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you replicate deductibles and limits identical to your current policy. This ensures you are getting rate comparison quotes for similar insurance coverage.
Do you qualify for discount car insurance?
Car insurance is expensive, but you might already qualify for some discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Certain credits will be shown when you complete an application, but some need to be asked for before you get the savings.
- Safe Driver Discount – Safe drivers may receive a discount up to 45% compared to accident prone drivers.
- Early Switch Discount – Select larger companies give a discount for signing up prior to the expiration date on your current policy. You may see this discount when you get .
- Good Student – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
- Telematics Data – Georgetown drivers who agree to allow their insurance company to monitor where and when they drive by installing a telematics device such as Progressive’s Snapshot could save a few bucks if their driving habits are good.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
- Active Service Discounts – Having a family member in the military could qualify you for better premium rates.
Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But all discounts will definitely reduce your policy premium.
Popular car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.
- State Farm offers discounts including multiple policy, accident-free, Steer Clear safe driver discount, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, and multiple autos.
- American Family has discounts for Steer into Savings, early bird, multi-vehicle, bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, and accident-free.
- AAA discounts include multi-policy, multi-car, good student, education and occupation, good driver, AAA membership discount, and anti-theft.
- Geico may offer discounts for emergency military deployment, anti-theft, five-year accident-free, military active duty, anti-lock brakes, and driver training.
- Mercury Insurance may include discounts for accident-free, location of vehicle, professional/association, low natural disaster claims, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for good student, pay in full, switch companies, electronic funds transfer, multi-car, and alternative fuel.
- Progressive has savings for homeowner, good student, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, and online signing.
It’s a good idea to ask all companies you are considering how many discounts you can get. Savings might not be available to policyholders in your area. To choose insurance companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in South Carolina, follow this link.
Components of your car insurance costs
Lots of factors are considered when pricing auto insurance. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but others are less obvious like where you live or your vehicle rating. One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the factors that help calculate the rates you pay for car insurance. If you understand what determines premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that may result in cheaper rates.
- Deter theft and reduce prices – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms help track and prevent your car from being stolen.
- Higher prices for specific employers – Occupations like military personnelpolice officers and stock brokers tend to pay higher rates than average because of intense work situations and incredibly demanding work hours. On the flip side, jobs like professors, historians and the unemployed have lower than average premiums.
- Save money with higher physical damage deductibles – Physical damage protection, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, covers your vehicle from damage. Examples of some claims that would be covered would be collision with another vehicle, hitting a deer, and rolling your vehicle. Deductibles for physical damage represent how much money you are required to pay if a covered claim is submitted. The more expense the insured has to pay upfront, the less money you will pay for car insurance.
- Too many policy claims will drive premiums up – If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can expect higher premiums or even policy non-renewal. Insurance companies in South Carolina generally give the lowest premiums to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Your insurance policy is designed for the large, substantial claims.
- Prices are impacted by vehicle performance – The make and model of the car you drive makes a huge difference in your premium level. The most favorable rates are usually found on lower cost passenger models, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Urban residents pay more – Living in areas with lower population may provide you with better prices when buying car insurance. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accident claims and lower theft and vandalism rates. Urban drivers have more aggressive driving styles and longer commute times. Spending more time driving means a statistically higher chance of an accident.
- Driving citations can be expensive – Careful drivers pay lower auto insurance prices as compared to those with violations. Just one moving violation may increase your cost forty percent or more. Drivers with serious tickets like reckless driving or DUI may find that they have to to maintain a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
Do drivers who switch really save?
Consumers can’t get away from ads that promise big savings for switching by companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads say the same thing about saving some big amount if you move to their company.
How can each company give you a lower rate? This is how they do it.
All companies have underwriting criteria for the type of driver that will most likely be profitable. For example, this type of driver should be between the ages of 30 and 45, has a clean driving record, and drives a lower-performance vehicle. Any customer who fits those characteristics will get a cheap rate quote and will probably save when switching.
Insureds who are not a match for these standards will probably have to pay more expensive rates and ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “drivers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much. This is how companies can claim big savings.
This really drives home the point why you really need to compare many company’s auto insurance rates. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will provide the lowest rates.
Keep this in mind
People change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, being labeled a high risk driver, unfair underwriting practices or an unsatisfactory settlement offer. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.
When getting , it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
Some insurance companies may not offer the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional carriers only sell through independent insurance agencies. Cheaper car insurance can be found online as well as from independent agents in Georgetown, and you should compare rates from both to get a complete price analysis.
Read more about South Carolina car insurance
More information can be read on the South Carolina Department of Insurance website through this link. South Carolina drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, report car insurance fraud, and learn about insurance regulations.
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