Paying for expensive car insurance can draw down your checking account and make it impossible to make ends meet. Comparing rates annually is a smart way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
There are many car insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, it can be more difficult to get the best deal.
How to get low cost car insurance in Bethany, Connecticut
Most companies make it easy to get pricing direct online. Doing online quotes is pretty painless because it’s just a matter of typing in your personal and coverage information into the quote form. After you submit the form the company’s rating system sends out for information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information based on these factors. Online price estimates makes it easy to compare insurance prices but the time required to go to multiple sites and enter the same data into a form is a waste of time. But it’s necessary to do this in order to get better prices.
A better way to find lower prices requires only one form to return rates from a lot of companies. It saves time, eliminates form submissions, and makes rate comparisons a lot less work. As soon as you send your information, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the pricing results. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and purchase coverage. It just takes a couple of minutes and may save quite a bit of money.
If you want to fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended that you enter the limits and deductibles just like they are on your policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive a price comparison based on similar coverages.
Well known brands might not be cheapest
Consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings by Geico, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to advertise the message that drivers will save a bundle if you change your coverage to them.
How is it plausible that every one can offer drivers better rates? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies provide the lowest rates for the right customer they prefer to insure. A good example of this type of insured might be described as between the ages of 40 and 55, has few claims, and chooses high deductibles. Any customer who fits that profile will get low prices and therefore will save money with a new company.
Potential insureds who do not fit the “perfect” profile will probably have to pay higher prices and this can result in the prospect going elsewhere. The ads say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” will save that much if they switch. This is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings. This really illustrates why you really should quotes from several different companies. It is impossible to predict which car insurance company will have the best prices for your profile.
Drivers save money with these nine discounts
Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Some of these disounts will be visible when you purchase, but once in a while a discount must be asked for prior to getting the savings.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are less likely to be stolen and will save you 10% or more.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Buying insurance coverage on a new vehicle is cheaper since new vehicles have better safety ratings.
- Sign Online – Certain car insurance companies will give you a small discount just for signing your application on the web.
- No Claims – Insureds with no claims or accidents can save substantially when compared with policyholders that have many claims.
- Senior Citizens – Mature drivers may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
- Homeowners Savings – Owning your own home or condo can save a few bucks since home ownership means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
- ABS Brakes – Cars with ABS and/or traction control can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Some insurance companies give a discounted price on car insurance if you buy some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
- Good Student – Excelling in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. If you do the math and it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
For a list of providers that offer multiple discounts in Connecticut, follow this link.
Buying car insurance from Bethany insurance agencies
A small number of people just prefer to buy from a local agent and that is not a bad decision Experienced insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about comparing rates online is the fact that you can find cheap rate quotes and still buy from a local agent.
Upon completion of this short form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your car insurance coverage. There is no need to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered straight to your inbox. If you want to compare rates from a specific car insurance provider, you can always jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
Choosing a insurance company requires more thought than just the price. Any agent should be willing to answer these questions.
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- What kind of financial rating does the company have?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Where are claims handled?
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
If you’re trying to find a local agent, you should know the different agency structures and how they are slightly different. Agencies in Bethany are classified as either independent or captive depending on the company they work for. Either can handle car insurance, but it’s worth learning the difference in how they write coverage because it may have an impact on which type of agent you select.
Captive Agencies
Captive insurance agents normally can only provide a single company’s rates and some examples include AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They are usually quite knowledgeable on sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Agents that choose to be independent are not employed by one company so they can write business with a variety of different insurance companies and find the cheapest car insurance rates. If premiums increase, your agent can just switch to a different company and you stay with the same agent.
When comparison shopping, we highly recommend that you compare quotes from independent agents in order to compare the most rates.
The following is a list of independent insurance agents in Bethany willing to provide rate quotes.
Dimatteo Insurance Svc Ctr – 649 Amity Rd – Bethany, CT 06524 – (203) 393-5900
To view additional licensed insurance agents in Bethany, feel free to see this list of Bethany insurance agents.
Car insurance can get complicated
When it comes to buying the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions might point out whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
- Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Bethany?
- Who is covered by my policy?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
- What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.
More detailed Connecticut car insurance information can be found at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Connecticut drivers can view a list of available companies, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, report car insurance fraud, and download brochures.
More related Bethany car insurance information:
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- Is Your Bethany Beach, DE Auto Insurance Too High?
Specific coverage details
Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverage types offered by car insurance companies.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (20/40/10 in Connecticut), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for expenses for things like doctor visits, rehabilitation expenses and nursing services. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Liability insurance – Liability insurance will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000.
Liability coverage protects against things like repair costs for stationary objects, medical expenses, medical services, bail bonds and pain and suffering. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Connecticut state law requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.
Comprehensive auto coverage – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as damage from flooding, vandalism, theft and damage from getting keyed. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims like backing into a parked car, hitting a parking meter and scraping a guard rail. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
One last thing
When you , make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
You just learned a lot of information how to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding . Consumers could even find that the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies. Smaller companies often have lower rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.
Cheaper car insurance can be bought online and also from your neighborhood Bethany agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies may not offer rate quotes online and usually these small, regional companies only sell through independent agencies.