Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me, many Lawrence consumers feel financially strained by their car insurance policy. Having so many insurance providers from which to choose, it can be impossible to choose the lowest price company.
Lower rates by qualifying for discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you complete an application, but a few need to be asked about prior to getting the savings. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car is cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- No Charge for an Accident – Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt could cut 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Employee of Federal Government – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with a few car insurance companies.
- Distant Student – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
- Organization Discounts – Being a member of a professional or civic organization could trigger savings on car insurance.
It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.
For a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Massachusetts, follow this link.
Lower your Lawrence Car Insurance Rates
Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get big savings.
- Pay less after the wedding – Being married actually saves money on your policy. Having a significant other translates into being more mature and responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- Bad driving skills means higher rates – Even one citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. If you have dangerous violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Your location is important – Residing in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when buying car insurance. City drivers tend to have much more traffic and longer commute times. Fewer drivers means reduced accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
- Clean credit earns discounts – Having a bad credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. If your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with poor credit.
- Low deductibles can be expensive – Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are collision with another vehicle, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. Your deductibles are how much you are required to spend before your car insurance pays a claim. The more expense the insured has to pay upfront, the less your car insurance will be.
Can’t I compare rates from local Lawrence agents?
A small number of people prefer to get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Professional agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is that you can obtain the best rates and still choose a local agent. And providing support for local agencies is important particularly in Lawrence.
After completing this simple form, your coverage information gets sent to companies in Lawrence who will compete to get your business. You never need to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier!
The following are agents in Lawrence willing to provide comparison quotes.
Harrington Insurance – 40 Myrtle St, Lawrence, MA 01841 – (978) 682-2601
Degnan Insurance – 81 Salem St, Lawrence, MA 01843 – (978) 688-4474
Choosing a company shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- How long has their agency been in business in Lawrence?
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
Once you have received reasonable responses to these questions and a low price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance company that is a good match to adequately provide car insurance.
Car insurance myths debunked
Consumers can’t ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you switch to their company.
But how can every company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk might be between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has a high credit rating. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save a lot of money.
Drivers who don’t qualify for these standards will be charged higher prices and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s the way companies can advertise the savings.
That is why drivers should compare many company’s rates. Because you never know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.
To learn even more about car insurance
Additional car insurance information can be found on the website for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, find disaster information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and file complaints about a company.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Lawrence
- 7 Tricks to Slash Auto Insurance Rates in Lawrence
- Tightwads Guide for Saving on Lawrence Auto Insurance
Smart consumers save more
While you’re price shopping online, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, an insured cut physical damage coverage only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate.
Throughout this article, we presented many ideas to reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm or Progressive.