Price shopping your Madison auto insurance is always challenging for consumers not familiar with comparison shopping online. People have so many choices that it can quickly become a real hassle to locate the lowest price in Madison.
You should take the time to shop coverage around periodically due to the fact that insurance rates change frequently. Even if you think you had the best rates on your last policy there may be better deals available now. You’ll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about auto insurance on the web, but with this article, you’re going to get a bunch of ideas how to stop overpaying for insurance.
How to Buy Madison Auto Insurance Online
All the larger auto insurance companies provide coverage prices on their websites. Getting online quotes is fairly simple as you simply enter as detailed in the form. After you complete the form, the company’s rating system pulls reports for credit and driving violations and returns pricing information.
Being able to quote online makes comparing rates easy, but the work required to visit a lot of sites and type in the same information can be a bit repetitive. But it’s very important to perform this step in order to get a lower rate.
The quickest way to find better auto insurance pricing uses one simple form that analyzes rates from several different companies. This type of form saves time, reduces the work, and makes comparison shopping a little more enjoyable. After sending the form, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick any of the quote results.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and buy the policy. This process takes just a few minutes to complete and could lower your rates considerably.
To get comparison pricing now, click here and complete the simple form. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you complete the form with your coverages just like they are on your policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will have a fair comparison based on identical coverages.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before you get the savings.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Student Driver Training – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
- New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Memberships – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount when shopping for auto insurance.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts up to 30%.
It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will reduce your overall premium however.
To see a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Madison, click here to view.
Buy Cheaper Auto Insurance with These Tips
It’s important that you understand the factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.
The following are a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine prices.
- Is your vehicle built for speed? – The performance of the car you are insuring makes a significant difference in your rates. The lowest base rates tend to be for lower performance four cylinder passenger models, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
- Where you reside plays a part – Being located in small towns and rural areas has it’s advantages when talking about auto insurance. Fewer people means fewer accidents. Drivers who live in large South Dakota cities have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. More time commuting can result in more accidents.
- Being married can save on auto insurance – Having a spouse can get you a discount on auto insurance. It means you’re more responsible and statistics show married couples file fewer claims.
- Do men or women drive better? – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes cause accidents in similar numbers, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
- Car features impact rates – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping auto theft.
- Policy add-ons can waste money – There are quite a few add-on coverages that you can buy when buying auto insurance. Things like rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- Mature drivers pay less – More mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and receive fewer citations. Young drivers are statistically proven to get distracted easily when driving therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
Save $382 a year. For real?
Auto insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and Geico continually stream ads in print and on television. They all say the same thing that you’ll save big after switching your coverage to them. How do they all say the same thing? This is how they do it.
All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has a short commute. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will get very good rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.
Consumers who are not a match for the requirements will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.
This emphasizes why you absolutely need to compare as many rates as you can. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.
Compare but don’t skimp
We’ve covered many ways to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Cheap auto insurance can be purchased online and with local Madison insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. A few companies do not offer online quoting and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured cut collision coverage to discover at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.
More information is located on the South Dakota Division of Insurance website through this link. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and view a list of available companies.
The following information may also be useful.