No one in their right mind looks forward to buying car insurance, particularly when their premiums are too high.
Consumers have many insurers to buy insurance from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, it can be more difficult to compare rates and cut insurance costs.
Locating the lowest cost protection in Jericho is not that difficult. Essentially anyone who is shopping for car insurance will most likely be able to lower their premiums. Although Vermont vehicle owners benefit from understanding the way insurance companies compete online because it can help you find the best coverage.
Lower your Jericho Car Insurance Rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to better car insurance rates.
- Liability insurance protects assets – Your policy’s liability coverage will protect you if ever you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
- Males pay more for insurance – Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the males have costlier accidents. They also receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- Choose a safe vehicle and save – Vehicles with good safety scores can get you lower premiums. These vehicles have better occupant injury protection and fewer injuries means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Adjust deductibles and save – Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered could be running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, and burglary. The deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. The more expense the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Don’t miss these discounts
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically in order for you to get them.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with one company you will save at least 10% off all policies.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off with a few car insurance companies.
- Seat Belts Save – Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Organization Discounts – Participating in a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break on your policy.
- No Accidents – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less compared to frequent claim filers.
- Paperwork-free – A few companies give back up to $50 just for signing your application on their website.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But any discount will bring down your overall premium however.
To choose companies who offer car insurance discounts in Vermont, click here.
What about my local Jericho agents?
Some people would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is a personal choice. The biggest benefit of price shopping on the web is you can get the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for local businesses is important particularly in Jericho.
After filling out this simple form, the coverage information is submitted to agents in your area who will compete to get your business. You never need to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. It doesn’t get any easier! You’ll get the best rates AND a local agent.
Best insurance agent in Jericho
If you’re trying to find local Jericho agents, you need to know there are two types of agencies from which to choose. Agents are categorized either captive or independent.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, we recommend you get quotes from several independent insurance agents for the best price selection.
The following is a list of independent agencies in Jericho who can help you get pricing information.
Keith Agency – 38 Vermont Route 15 – Jericho, VT 05465 – (802) 899-2323
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents write business for a single company and examples are Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They generally cannot provide prices from multiple companies so always compare other rates. These agents receive extensive training in insurance sales which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Deciding on an insurance agency should depend on more than just a cheap price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- How long has their agency been in business in Jericho?
- Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
Once you have received answers to your satisfaction to all your questions as well as a affordable price, you may have just found an insurance agent that is a good match to insure your vehicles.
Do you really save 40% when you switch?
Companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads on television and other media. All the ads make the same claim about savings if you change your coverage to them. How do they all say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. For example, a preferred risk could be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and therefore will save a lot of money.
Potential customers who are not a match for this ideal profile will be quoted higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. This is how companies can state the savings.
This emphasizes why you should get a wide range of price quotes. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
Additional information is available on the website for the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation found here. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, learn about insurance regulations, view agent and company licensing information, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
More effort can pay off
We just showed you a lot of tips how to compare car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the best prices are with a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like Progressive or Geico.
Discount car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Jericho agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.