Are you tired of not being able to scrape enough together to pay high car insurance rates every month? You are no different than most other drivers in North Carolina. Drivers have many insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and even though it’s nice to have multiple companies, more choices can make it harder to compare company pricing.
It’s smart to shop coverage around as often as possible due to the fact that insurance prices change frequently. If you had the best price on your last policy there is a good chance you can find better rate quotes now. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance online but we’re going to give you some solid techniques on how to slash your car insurance rates.
Informed consumers save more
Many factors are part of the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic such as traffic violations, but other criteria are not as apparent like your continuous coverage and annual miles driven. One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the elements that play a part in calculating car insurance rates. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower rates.
Shown below are some of the most rate-impacting factors used by companies to determine your premiums.
- lapses raise prices – Going without insurance is a quick way to pay more for car insurance. Not only will you pay higher rates, being ticketed for driving with no insurance will get you fines or a revoked license.
- Drive a fast car and pay more – The make and model of the vehicle you drive makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. The best insurance prices are usually found on small economy passenger cars, but your final cost has many other factors.
- Safer vehicles mean better rates – Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and fewer injuries translates into savings for insurance companies which can mean better rates for you. If your vehicle is rated at a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you are probably receiving a discount.
- Urban residents pay more – Having an address in a rural area can be a good thing when buying car insurance. Residents of big cities have more traffic problems and longer commutes to work. Fewer drivers and short commutes means a lower chance of having an accident in addition to lower liability claims
- Careless driving leads to higher rates – Your driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better rates as compared to those with violations. Even one speeding ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who have gotten flagrant violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to file a SR-22 with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Low credit rating equals high prices – An insured’s credit rating is a large factor in determining premium rates. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with poor credit. Therefore, if your credit can be improved, you could be paying less to insure your vehicle by taking the time to improve your credit score.
- Bundling policies can get discounts – Most larger car insurance companies will award better rates to customers that have more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. The amount of the discounts can be five, ten or even twenty percent. Even with this discount applied, you still need to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. Consumers may save more without the discount by buying car insurance from a different company.
- Battle of the sexes – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown that females take fewer risks when driving. The data does not necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. They both cause at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but males cause more damage. They also get higher numbers of serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving.
Lower-cost North Carolina car insurance rates with discounts
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that can help lower your rates. Most are applied when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you will receive the discount.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Having primary and secondary vehicles on the same car insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking time to complete a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and make you a better driver.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
- New Vehicle Savings – Buying a new car model can save you some money because new vehicles are generally safer.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could earn a discount of over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents can save as much as half off their rates than less cautious drivers.
- Multi-line Discount – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. If you do the math and it seems like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few of the larger companies and their possible discounts are shown below.
- State Farm offers discounts including driver’s education, defensive driving training, accident-free, multiple autos, student away at school, safe vehicle, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- Progressive has discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online signing, homeowner, and continuous coverage.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online signing, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, homeowner, good student, and multi-policy.
- MetLife may include discounts for defensive driver, multi-policy, accident-free, good driver, claim-free, and good student.
- Farm Bureau offers premium reductions for 55 and retired, multi-vehicle, safe driver, good student, and youthful driver.
- Geico has savings for daytime running lights, five-year accident-free, emergency military deployment, defensive driver, and multi-vehicle.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for anti-lock brakes, drive less, accident prevention training, teen safety rewards, multi-car, and safe driver.
Check with each insurance company which discounts they offer. Some discounts listed above may not be offered in Graham. To find car insurance companies that offer multiple discounts in North Carolina, click here to view.
Additional information can be found on the located here. Visitors are able to discover disciplinary actions, view agent and company licensing information, view a list of available companies, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Other informative sites include III.org’s auto insurance page and this list of insurance agents in Graham.
More comparisons equals lower rates
You just read many tips how you can lower your car insurance auto insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more you , the better likelihood of getting . You may even find the biggest savings come from a small local company. They can often provide lower premium rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate and still be able to protect your assets.
Discount car insurance can be sourced both online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies don’t offer price quotes online and many times these small, regional companies work with independent insurance agents.