Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can empty your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparing price quotes is a smart way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. Popular companies such as Geico and Progressive all claim big savings, bombarding you with ad campaigns and it can be hard to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and do the work needed to find the best deal.
How your Rupert rates are determined
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.
Listed below are some of the items used by your company to calculate rates.
- Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates – Owning a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent your car from being stolen.
- A lapse in coverage is a bad thing – Not having insurance can get your license suspended and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, failure to provide proof of insurance can result in a revoked license or a big fine.You may need to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Idaho motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
- Liability coverage is cheap – The liability section of your policy is the protection if ever a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
- More claims means more premium – Car insurance companies in Idaho award better rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. If you frequently file small claims, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance is designed for the large, substantial claims.
- Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Some insurance companies provide better rates to customers who have multiple policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s in your best interest to comparison shop to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Drivers may still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Car insurance can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts to cut the cost considerably. A few discounts will automatically apply when you get a quote, but a few must be specifically requested before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
- Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with a few car insurance companies.
- 55 and Retired – Mature drivers may receive reduced rates.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with one company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Paperwork-free – Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
- Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- No Accidents – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will cut your premiums.
For a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Rupert, click this link.
Online quotes with a local Rupert insurance agent
Some people would prefer to sit down with an agent and that is a personal choice. Professional agents can point out coverage gaps and help submit paperwork. One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is you may find lower rates but also keep your business local. And supporting small agencies is definitely important in Rupert.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is submitted to local insurance agents in Rupert who will battle for your business. There is no need to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. How cool is that?!
Below are Rupert car insurance companies that may be able to provide comparison quotes.
Haskin Insurance Svc Inc – 629 Fremont St, Rupert, ID 83350 – (208) 436-4141
Covenant Insurance-Investments – 504 6th St, Rupert, ID 83350 – (208) 436-0523
Choosing a company needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
Once you have answers to your satisfaction to any questions you have and a good coverage price, you have narrowed it down to an provider that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.
Additional information can be found on the website for the Idaho Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can learn about insurance regulations, find out which companies have the most complaints, read consumer alerts, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
More comparisons equals lower rates
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are too many instances where an insured cut physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest rates come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.