Paying for high-priced car insurance can empty your bank account and force you to make sacrifices. Shopping your coverage around is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to tighten up your finances. Because you have many options when it comes to car insurance, it’s difficult to choose the most affordable car insurance company.
It’s a great practice to take a look at other company’s rates once or twice a year due to the fact that insurance rates tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates a year ago you may be paying too much now. You’ll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about car insurance on the web, but with this article, you’re going to get some tested techniques to slash your car insurance rates.
Locating more affordable coverage in Orangeburg can be fairly easy. If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can learn to reduce the price you pay and still get good coverage. South Carolina vehicle owners only need an understanding of the best way to compare prices online.
Pay less by taking advantage of discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. Most are applied when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before you get the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Seat Belt Usage – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Having multiple cars or trucks on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts as compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Club Memberships – Being a member of a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying car insurance.
- Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy on their website.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will reduce the cost of coverage.
To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Orangeburg, follow this link.
Free Quotes for Car Insurance in Orangeburg
Finding cheaper car insurance prices is a fairly straight forward process. Just spend a few minutes comparing rate quotes provided by online insurance companies. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.
The single most time-saving way to get quotes for comparison is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This form prevents you from having to do boring form submissions for every car insurance company. One form will return quotes instantly.
Another way to get quotes online is to take the time to go to each company website and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want to compare rates from Auto-Owners, Geico and GMAC. To get each rate you have to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Orangeburg, click here.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you’re using the exact same coverages for every company. If each company quotes different values for each quote you will not be able to find the best deal in Orangeburg.
Smart Consumers Save More
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
- Small claims can cost you – Auto insurance companies in South Carolina provide better rates to people who do not file claims often. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect higher rates. Car insurance is designed for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your car insurance policy. Insurance for roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Better credit scores mean better rates – Having a bad credit score is a large factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your by improving your credit score. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
- Marriage pays dividends – Being married helps lower the price on car insurance. It usually means you are more responsible and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.
- Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates – Purchasing a vehicle that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping your vehicle from being stolen.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Careers like doctors, business owners and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates because of high stress and long work hours. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and performers pay the least.
- No coverage gaps is important – Driving your car without having proper coverage is against the law and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance lapse. Not only will rates go up, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.
And the best car insurance company is…
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price.
Affordable car insurance can be found online in addition to many Orangeburg insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
To learn even more about car insurance
Additional car insurance information is located on the website for the South Carolina Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can find disaster information, view a list of available companies, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.
Other useful links include Auto Insurance 101 and this page on QuoteClickInsure.com.