Feel like you’re a prisoner to overpriced car insurance? Believe me when I say you’re not alone. Many auto insurance companies vie for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurers to discover the definitive best rate
Lower the Price of Insurance with These Tips
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in big savings.
The list below includes a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine premiums.
- High performance equals high price – The make and model of the car you drive makes a substantial difference in the rate you pay. The most favorable rates tend to be for small economy passenger models, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Save money with special equipment – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
- Older drivers pay less – Teenage drivers in Oregon are statistically proven to be more careless behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Adding a teen driver to your policy can be very expensive. Older drivers are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
- Do you know you’re credit rating? – Credit rating is a important factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with poor credit. Therefore, if your credit history can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
- Add-on coverages can add up – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good at first, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
- Battle of the sexes – Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. They both tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
Which Car Insurance is Cheapest in Tualatin, Oregon?
There are a variety of methods to compare car insurance prices but there is one way that is easier and takes less work. You could spend your day talking to local insurance agents in Tualatin, or you can stay home and use online quotes to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Most major companies belong to an insurance system where insurance shoppers submit one quote, and every company then returns a price quote based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for each company.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to start a free quote.
The only downside to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify which companies you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we have a listing of the cheapest car insurance companies in Oregon. Click here to view list.
Whichever way you use, make sure you use the exact same coverage limits and deductibles with each company. If you have different values for each quote you can’t possibly make a fair comparison in Tualatin.
Discounts are available to cut your rates
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Multiple Vehicles – Having multiple vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
- Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
- Good Student – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
- Distant Student – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
- Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out life insurance.
- Organization Discounts – Participating in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
- Accident Forgiveness – A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will cut your premiums.
To see a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Tualatin, click here.
Everyone needs different coverages
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- When should I remove comp and collision on my vehicle?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
- Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.
More information is located on the website for the Oregon Insurance Division through this link. Consumers can download brochures, find out industry alerts, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and read consumer alerts.
Other useful links include FindNewCarInsurance.com and this list of agents in Tualatin, OR.
Smart consumers save more
In this article, we presented some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like Allstate and Progressive.
Cost effective car insurance is definitely available online as well as from independent agents in Tualatin, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies don’t offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.