Do you think you bought an overpriced auto insurance policy? It’s quite common and there are many Winter Garden drivers thinking the same thing. With drivers having so many choices, it can be diffult for people to locate the lowest cost insurance company.
It’s a great practice to do price comparisons once or twice a year because auto insurance prices change quite often. Just because you found the lowest price last year you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the tricks you need to know to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
Learn how to quote auto insurance cheaper
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help calculate the level of your policy premiums. When you understand what impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that can help you get better auto insurance rates.
Shown below are some of the major factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set premiums.
- Does car insurance cost more for men? – The statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. The data does not necessarily mean that females are better drivers. Males and females tend to get into auto accidents at a similar rate, but males tend to have higher claims. Men also receive more major tickets like reckless driving and DUI.
- Your credit score is important – An insured’s credit history can be a huge factor in determining what you pay. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your vehicle if you clean up your credit. Insureds that have high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower credit ratings.
- Drive lots and pay more – The more you drive your car annually the more it will cost to insure it. Many insurance companies rate vehicles based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Vehicles that do not get driven very much qualify for better rates than cars that get driven a lot. Ask your agent if your policy is showing how each vehicle is driven.
- High coverage deductibles reduce rates – Insurance for physical damage, aka comp and collision, is used to repair damage to your vehicle. Some instances where coverage would apply would be a broken windshield, damage from fire, or theft. The deductibles you choose are how much the insured will be required to pay if the claim is covered. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
- Insurance premiums are higher for high performance vehicles – The make and model of the vehicle you need insurance for makes a big difference in the rate you pay. Lower cost passenger cars usually have the lowest rates, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Incidental coverages you don’t use – There are a ton of extra add-on coverages that may not really be needed on your policy. Insurance for personal injury protection, better glass coverage, and membership fees are probably not needed. They may seem like a good idea when buying your policy, but if you’ve never needed them in the past remove them from your policy.
The easiest way to get rate comparisons is to take advantage of the fact most insurance companies participate in a system to quote your coverage. The only thing you need to do is provide a small amount of information such as if the car is leased, what you do for a living, if it has an anti-theft system, and if you have an active license. The data is then sent to insurance carriers in your area and you should receive rate quotes with very little delay.
To get price quotes for your car now, click here and find out if you can get cheaper insurance.
But they said I’d save $470 a year!
Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the ads make the same claim of big savings if you get a free and switch your auto insurance coverage to their company.
How does every auto insurance company sell you cheaper insurance coverage? It’s all in the numbers.
Insurance companies require specific criteria for the type of customer that will be a good risk. For instance, a desirable risk should be between the ages of 30 and 50, has never had a claim, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who matches those parameters will get the preferred premium rates and will save a lot if they switch.
People who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile will get higher premium rates which results in the prospect going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that much. That’s why insurance companies can make claims that they all have the best rates. Different companies use different criteria so it is so important to compare often. You cannot predict which insurance companies will have the best prices.
Save a ton with discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always publicize every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following list contains both the well known as well as some of the hidden ways to save on auto insurance.
- Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Bundle and Save – If you combine your home and auto policies with one company you could earn a discount of nearly 15% which can help you find .
- Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify for a discount when you with certain companies.
- Winter Garden Homeowners Discount – Owning a home in Winter Garden can get you a discount because maintaining a house requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Online Discount – Certain insurance companies provide a small discount simply for signing on the internet.
- Active Military Service – Having a deployed family member could trigger a small discount.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could earn discounted prices on garaged vehicles.
As is typical with insurance, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Despite the fact that it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, that’s just not realistic.
To locate providers that provide some of the discounts listed above in Winter Garden, click here.
Auto insurance quotes from neighborhood Winter Garden auto insurance agents
Some people still prefer to talk to an insurance agent and that can be a great decision Insurance agents can help determine the best coverages and will help you if you have claims. An additional benefit of getting free rate quotes online is that you can find the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.
Upon completion of this short form, your information is immediately sent to agents in your area that can give you to get your business. There is no need to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go to you instantly. In the event you want to get a price quote from one company in particular, just find their quoting web page and fill out the quote form the provide.
Picking an insurance company shouldn’t rely on just the quoted price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- How long has their agency been open in Winter Garden?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- Are they involved in claim handling?
If you are wanting to find a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agencies and how they can write your policy. Auto insurance agents are considered either independent agents or captive agents. Either one can sell auto insurance policies, but it’s worth learning how they are different since it may influence which agent you choose.
Captive Insurance Agencies
Captive agencies can only provide one company’s prices and some examples include Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are not able to provide other company’s prices so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captives receive extensive training on their company’s products and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
The following are captive insurance agents in Winter Garden that can give you price quote information.
Farm Bureau Insurance – 14159 W Colonial Dr – Winter Garden, FL 34787 – (407) 656-7005
Allstate Insurance – 12857 W Colonial Dr – Winter Garden, FL 34787 – (407) 877-2367
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent insurance agents can sell policies from many different companies and that allows them to write policies with an assortment of companies and get the cheapest rates. If premiums increase, they simply switch companies in-house without you having to go to a different agency. When comparing auto insurance rates, it’s recommended you check rates from several independent insurance agents so that you can do a thorough price comparison.
Below are Winter Garden independent insurance agents that can give you price quotes.
West Orange Insurance Inc – 14101 W Colonial Dr – Winter Garden, FL 34787 – (407) 905-5080
Meade Agency – 413 S Dillard St – Winter Garden, FL 34787 – (407) 905-2737
Hillcrest Insurance – 54 W Plant St – Winter Garden, FL 34787 – (407) 656-2211
To view additional Winter Garden insurance agents, visit this directory of auto insurance agencies in Winter Garden.
Once you have good answers for all questions you ask and an affordable coverage quote, you may have just found an insurance agent that will provide auto insurance coverage.
Even more information can be found at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. Florida consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find a variety of consumer forms, and download brochures.
More comparisons equals lower rates
When shopping online for auto insurance, make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone dropped collision coverage and found out when filing a claim they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers work with independent agents. Affordable auto insurance can be bought on the web as well as from insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection.
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you , the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from an unexpected company. Regional companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as Geico and State Farm.