Pricey auto insurance can deplete your savings and force you to make sacrifices. Performing a rate comparison is a great way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.
Multiple insurers compete for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the definite lowest rate
It’s a good habit to take a look at other company’s rates at least once a year because rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best deal two years ago you will most likely find a better price today. There is a lot of bad information regarding auto insurance online but you can learn a lot of great tips on how to buy auto insurance cheaper.
If you are insured now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to get lower rates while maintaining coverages. Buying car insurance in Athens is not that difficult. Ohio consumers only need to know the most effective way to find the lowest price on the web.
Five things that affect insurance costs
Lots of factors are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but some are less obvious like where you live and annual miles driven.
- More performance means more cost – The performance of the car you need insurance for makes a significant difference in your premium level. The lowest base rates tend to be for lower cost passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Gender is a factor – Statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. This data doesn’t prove that females are better at driving than males. Women and men are in fender benders in similar percentages, but the males get into accidents with more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations like driving under the influence (DUI). Young males tend to get in the most accidents so it costs more to insure them.
- Adjust coverage deductibles and save – The deductibles you choose are how much the insured will be required to pay if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Some coverage claims are collision with another vehicle, damage caused by hail, or theft of your vehicle. The more expense you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the lower your rates will be.
- Vehicles with better crash test results mean better auto insurance rates – Vehicles with good safety scores can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and fewer serious injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your car earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it may cost less to insure.
- Know your credit score – Having a bad credit score is a large factor in determining what you pay. People that have good credit tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with bad credit. If your credit rating can be improved, you may save money insuring your vehicle by improving your rating.
Slash your auto insurance rates with discounts
Auto insurance is not inexpensive, but there are discounts available that you may not even know about. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically when you purchase, but some need to be specially asked for before they will apply.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Options like air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Requiring all passengers to buckle up can save a little on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Safe Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% than drivers with accident claims.
- Drivers Education – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Distant College Student Discount – living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus could qualify for this discount.
- Life Insurance Discount – Auto insurance companies who offer life insurance give better prices if you take out some life insurance too.
As a sidenote, many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, you aren’t that lucky.
A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are outlined below.
- Progressive may offer discounts for online signing, online quote discount, continuous coverage, good student, and multi-vehicle.
- Geico offers discounts for five-year accident-free, multi-vehicle, driver training, seat belt use, and military active duty.
- State Farm may have discounts that include safe vehicle, Steer Clear safe driver discount, student away at school, anti-theft, and good driver.
- Esurance may include discounts for good student, emergency road assistance, DriveSense, good driver, paid-in-full, and safety device.
- The Hartford has discounts for anti-theft, bundle, good student, defensive driver, and vehicle fuel type.
If you need lower rates, check with all companies you are considering to give you their best rates. Savings may not be offered in your area. If you would like to view auto insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above in Ohio, click here.
Get rate quotes but still have a local neighborhood Athens car insurance agent
Certain consumers still like to talk to a local agent and that is a personal choice. Most agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help file insurance claims. An additional benefit of comparing rate quotes online is you may find cheap auto insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent. Buying insurance from local insurance agencies is especially important in Athens.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is transmitted to insurance agents in Athens that can provide for your auto insurance coverage. You never need to search for any insurance agencies due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. If you wish to compare prices from a specific auto insurance provider, feel free to navigate to their website and submit a quote form there.
If you are wanting to find a local insurance agency, there are two different types of agents and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Auto insurance agents in Athens can be classified as either captive agents or independent agents. Either one can write auto insurance policies, but it’s worth learning the difference between them because it can influence your agent selection.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
Independent agencies often have many company appointments so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If premiums increase, your policy is moved internally and the insured can keep the same agent.
When comparing auto insurance prices, you will want to check rates from several independent insurance agents to get the best comparison.
Below are Athens independent agents who may provide competitive price quotes.
Cuckler Insurance Inc – 460 Richland Ave – Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 594-8371
C M Winderl Insurance – 501 Richland Ave – Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 592-4451
Captive Insurance Agencies
Captive agencies are contracted to one company such as AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. Captive agencies are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies so you might not find the best rates. Captive agencies are trained well on sales techniques which can be an advantage.
Shown below are Athens captive agencies who can help you get price quotes.
American Family Insurance – 507 Richland Ave # 104 – Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 592-4496
Allstate Insurance – 1005 E State St # I – Athens, OH 45701 – (740) 594-6110
To select from insurance agencies near you, visit this list of Athens, OH auto insurance providers.
Finding the right auto insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap quote. Any agent should be willing to answer these questions.
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
- Do they have designations such as AIC, CPCU, or CIC?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
After you get good feedback to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that can service your policy.
For more reading
Much more information about auto insurance in Ohio is located on the located here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, file complaints about a company, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and learn about specific coverages.
The following articles may also be useful.
- Top 10 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Athens
- How to Get a Great Insurance Agent in Athens
What is YOUR best insurance company?
Some insurance providers do not provide the ability to get quotes online and many times these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents. Budget-conscious auto insurance is definitely available online as well as from insurance agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture.
As you , it’s not a good idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at the best possible price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.