Paying for high-priced car insurance can overdraw your bank account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparison shopping is free and is an excellent way to slash your bill and have more diposable income. Having so many choices, it can be hard to choose the most cost effective insurance company.
It’s important to check car insurance prices periodically due to the fact that insurance rates trend upward over time. Just because you had the best deal last year there may be better deals available now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate how to quote online to find better coverage at a better price.
Buying car insurance in Boston is not that difficult. If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these techniques to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. Massachusetts drivers only need an understanding of the best way to compare company rates on the web.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Cost in Boston, Massachusetts
Effectively comparing car insurance prices is a ton of work if you don’t know the easiest way. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with insurance agencies in Boston, or you can utilize the web to get pricing more quickly.
Most of the larger companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers complete one form, and each participating company then gives them pricing based on the submitted data. This eliminates the need for quote requests for each company.
To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).
The one disadvantage to doing it this way is you can’t choose which carriers you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose individual companies to compare, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in Massachusetts. Click here for list of insurance companies in Massachusetts.
Which method you use is up to you, but make darn sure you compare identical coverages for each comparison quote. If each company quotes different deductibles it will be impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Boston.
Don’t miss these discounts
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise every available discount very well, so we break down both the well known and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
- Early Signing – A few companies offer discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less compared to frequent claim filers.
- One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
- Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Memberships – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
- Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way.
To choose companies with discount car insurance rates in Massachusetts, follow this link.
Save Money with These Tips
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.
- Marriage pays dividends – Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on your car insurance policy. Having a significant other means you’re more mature and it’s statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
- Adjust deductibles and save – Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, collision with an animal, or theft. The more you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Your credit rating is important – A driver’s credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. Drivers with excellent credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with poor credit. Therefore, if your credit history is low, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score.
- Rural vs Urban Areas – Living in small towns and rural areas has it’s advantages when it comes to car insurance. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Urban drivers have to deal with congested traffic and longer commute times. More time on the road means higher likelihood of an accident.
More detailed Massachusetts car insurance information can be found at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, and find disaster information.
Is there truth in advertising?
Massachusetts consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings by Geico, State Farm and Progressive. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you move to their company.
How do they all make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. An example of a driver they prefer could possibly be over the age of 50, is a homeowner, and has a short commute. Any driver who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.
Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements must pay a more expensive rate and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way companies can make the claims of big savings. This illustrates why you should get as many comparisons as possible. It is impossible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.
Quote more, save more
In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with a small local company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Geico and State Farm.
Low-cost car insurance is attainable both online as well as from independent agents in Boston, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies don’t offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.