Are you tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Wisconsin consumers.
Lots of auto insurance companies contend for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the best coverage at the lowest rate
If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Janesville is not rocket science. Although Wisconsin consumers can benefit from knowing how the larger insurance companies price insurance differently and use this information to your advantage.
Many Things Influence your Rates
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates enables informed choices that may reward you with better car insurance rates.
- Where do you drive? – The more you drive each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your car insurance policy is rated on the correct driver usage.
- Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
- Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Most insurers will award you with lower prices to policyholders who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s in your best interest to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by buying insurance from more than one company.
- How your age affects price – Older drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Teen drivers are statistically proven to be less responsible behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
Cut your premium with discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but discounts can save money and there are some available to reduce the price significantly. Most are applied at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be specially asked for before you get the savings.
- Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Safety Course Discount – Completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying coverage for multiple vehicles with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to complete a driver education course in school.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.
To choose companies with discount car insurance rates in Wisconsin, click here.
But buying car insurance online seems impersonal
Some consumers prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is you can get better rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying from local agencies is especially important in Janesville.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is instantly submitted to participating agents in Janesville who will compete for your business. You never need to leave your computer as quotes are delivered to your email. How’s that for easy! You’ll get the best rates AND an agent nearby.
Choose the right insurance agent
When looking for a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents from which to choose. Agents are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Agents
These agents are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles with any number of different companies and potentially find a lower price. To move your coverage to a new company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to include multiple independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Shown below is a list of independent agents in Janesville that may be able to provide comparison quotes.
J K Insurance Inc – 115 N Jackson St – Janesville, WI 53548 – (608) 754-8870
Mike Martin Agency – 1821 Milton Ave # 1 – Janesville, WI 53545 – (608) 757-2929
A G States Agency – 203 Jefferson Ave – Janesville, WI 53545 – (608) 758-2535
Association Mutual Insurance – 1520 Creston Park Dr – Janesville, WI 53545 – (608) 755-7959
John Wickhem Agency – 1504 N Randall Ave – Janesville, WI 53545 – (608) 752-6030
Captive Agents
Captive agents write business for a single company and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. These agents are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Captives are well schooled on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents.
The following is a short list of captive agents in Janesville who can help you get rate quotes.
Farmers Insurance Group – 20 E Milwaukee St # 314 – Janesville, WI 53545 – (608) 754-4070
American Family Insurance – 431 S River St – Janesville, WI 53548 – (608) 755-7800
State Farm Insurance – 2004 W Court St – Janesville, WI 53548 – (608) 756-3921
Allstate Insurance – 1821 Milton Ave # 2 – Janesville, WI 53545 – (608) 754-8600
For a complete listing of captive insurance agencies in Janesville, visit this site.
Choosing a car insurance agent should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. These questions are important to ask:
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Wisconsin?
- Are they full-time agents?
After receiving positive feedback to all your questions and locked in a price quote, you have narrowed it down to a car insurance agent that can adequately provide car insurance.
Much more information about car insurance in Wisconsin is located on the website for the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance located here. Wisconsin consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, view a list of available companies, read industry bulletins, and read consumer alerts.
Better coverage you can count on
While you’re price shopping online, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. Too many times, drivers have reduced full coverage only to regret that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just covered a lot of information how to shop for car insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a small local company. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Cheap car insurance can be purchased online in addition to many Janesville insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.