Pretty sure you bought overpriced car insurance? It’s quite common and many Eureka drivers feel the same as you. Vehicle owners have multiple insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s nice to have a choice, it can be more difficult to compare rates.
The quickest method to compare insurance rates from multiple companies is to understand most insurance companies will pay a fee to provide you with a free rate quote. To begin a comparison, all you need to do is give them some information such as marital status, if you have an active license, the type of vehicles you drive, and daily mileage. That information is instantly provided to insurance companies and you will receive price estimates quickly.
If you wish to get multiple quotes for your car now, click here and enter your zip code.
Insurance advertising tricks
Consumers can’t escape the ads that claim the best prices from companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all advertise claims that people will save if you change your coverage.
Is it even possible that every company can cost less than your current company? This is the trick they use.
Car insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer they prefer to insure. An example of a preferred risk might have to be between 30 and 50, has no claims, and has a short commute. A driver who matches that profile gets the lowest premium rates and have a good chance to save when switching.
Potential insureds who cannot meet the requirements will be quoted higher premiums which translates to the customer not purchasing. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” can save as much as they claim. That’s why insurance companies can advertise the savings. This really illustrates why you need to do a rate comparison at every renewal. It is impossible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.
Affordable Eureka car insurance rates with discounts
Car insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but there’s a good chance there are discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain credits will be shown at the time of purchase, but some must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Maintaining low annual mileage can earn better premium rates on cars that stay parked.
- Theft Deterent – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10% off your .
- Pay Early and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront as opposed to paying monthly you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Factory air bags could see savings of 20 to 30 percent.
- Paper-free Discount – A few larger online companies give back up to $50 on your computer.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to use their safety belts can save a little off the personal injury premium cost.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. If you do the math and it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck.
Larger car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be read below.
- State Farm discounts include passive restraint, multiple autos, student away at school, accident-free, driver’s education, and safe vehicle.
- American Family includes discounts for air bags, good student, early bird, TimeAway discount, accident-free, and multi-vehicle.
- Geico offers discounts for daytime running lights, defensive driver, federal employee, good student, anti-lock brakes, air bags, and multi-policy.
- 21st Century may offer discounts for good student, theft prevention, homeowners, student driver, automatic seat belts, driver training, and air bags.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for online quote discount, good student, homeowner, multi-policy, and online signing.
Before buying, ask every company which credits you are entitled to. Discounts may not apply to policyholders in Eureka.
Car insurance policy specifics
Knowing the specifics of your policy can help you determine appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are typical coverage types offered by car insurance companies.
Coverage for collisions
Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as scraping a guard rail, rolling your car and damaging your car on a curb. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like hail damage, damage from flooding, vandalism, theft and fire damage. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Medical expense insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for expenses for things like pain medications, X-ray expenses, doctor visits and dental work. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to you and your occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many South Dakota drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.
Auto liability insurance
This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage protects against things such as bail bonds, funeral expenses and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. South Dakota requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying higher limits.
More detailed South Dakota car insurance information can be read at the South Dakota Division of Insurance website. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read industry bulletins, and find out which companies have the most complaints.
One last thing about your coverage
As you shop your coverage around, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest cost and still be able to protect your assets.
Budget-conscious car insurance is definitely available both online and from local agencies, so you need to with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not offer online quoting and most of the time these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
We just presented a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of getting . You may even discover the biggest savings come from a small local company. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.