If you’ve never shopped for car insurance online, you can be overwhelmed by the vast number of online car insurance companies and websites all offering big savings in Mountain Home.
You need to get comparison quotes before your policy renews because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Just because you found the best deal a year ago other companies may now be cheaper. You’ll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about car insurance on the web, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some tested techniques to quit paying high car insurance rates.
This information will teach you the best way to quote coverages and some money-saving tips. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to save some money using this information. Although Idaho consumers benefit from understanding the way companies price online insurance because it can help you find the best coverage.
Compare Mountain Home Car Insurance Costs
There are a lot of ways you can shop for car insurance but one way is more efficient than others. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with agents in Mountain Home, or you can utilize online quoting to quickly compare rates.
Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to complete one form, and at least one company then returns a price quote based on that data. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company.
To compare pricing click here to open in new window.
The only drawback to pricing coverage this way is you can’t choose which carriers you want to price. If you would rather choose individual companies to compare prices, we have assembled a list of car insurance companies in Idaho. Click here to view list.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just be sure to compare the exact same quote information for every company. If you are comparing different limits and deductibles on each one it will be very difficult to find the best deal in Mountain Home. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. And when price shopping your coverage, having more price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting a better price.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that many people don’t even know exist. Most are applied at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested in order for you to get them.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
- Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy life insurance.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Passive Restraints – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings of more than 20%.
Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Just because it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.
To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Idaho, click this link.
Do I need a local agent?
A small number of people would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. And supporting local insurance agencies is important especially in Mountain Home.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-40.jpg" alt="Mountain Home ID car insurance prices” />
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, the quote information is instantly submitted to agents in your area who will give you bids to get your business. You won’t need to drive around because quoted prices will be sent to your email. It doesn’t get any easier! You’ll get the best rates AND an agent nearby.
The difference between Mountain Home insurance agents
When looking for a local agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agencies in Mountain Home are categorized either captive or independent.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
These agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to contact multiple independent agents to get the best comparison. They often place coverage with smaller regional carriers which may provide better rates.
Shown below are independent agencies in Mountain Home willing to provide competitive price quotes.
- Jim Sanders Agency – 230 American Legion Blvd – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 587-3387
- Still and Leavitt Insurance Inc – 160 N 2nd E – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 587-3146
- Pioneer Insurance – 210 S 3rd E – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 580-1300
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents can only write with one company such as State Farm or Allstate. Captives cannot give you multiple price quotes so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agencies are very knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage. Consumers frequently choose to use a captive agent mostly because of the brand legacy and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
Below is a short list of captive insurance agencies in Mountain Home that can give you price quotes.
- Farmers Insurance Group – 110 Rattlesnake Ave # A – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 587-9096
- Allstate Insurance Herron Agcy – 365b N 3rd E – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 587-7431
- State Farm Insurance – 218 N 2nd E – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 587-9006
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 2165 W 6th S # 2 – Mountain Home, ID 83647 – (208) 587-8484
To view a full list of Mountain Home captive agencies, simply jump to this page.
Choosing a car insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap price. These are valid questions to ask:
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Idaho?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
Upon getting acceptable answers to any questions you have and an affordable coverage quote, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agency that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.
Save Money with These Tips
Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get big savings.
The list below includes a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine your rates.
- How many coverages with the same company – Many insurance companies provide better rates to insureds who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you may still want to shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
- Liability coverage is peace of mind – Your policy’s liability coverage will protect you if a court rules you are at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides for a legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
- Discounts for married couples – Having a wife or husband actually saves money on your policy. Having a significant other means you’re more mature it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are many extra bells and whistles that you can buy when buying car insurance. Things like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and membership fees may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so remove them from your policy.
- Your job and insurance rates – Occupations like real estate brokers, business owners and stock brokers have the highest rates because of high stress levels and long work days. On the other hand, occupations like actors, students and retirees get better rates.
- Are you male or female? – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. Both sexes are in accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI.
- Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
More quotes mean more savings
Budget-conscious car insurance is attainable both online in addition to many Mountain Home insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with the smaller companies.
Drivers switch companies for any number of reasons including high rates after DUI convictions, delays in paying claims, poor customer service or even policy cancellation. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new company can be easy and end up saving you some money.
Consumer car insurance information in Idaho
More information can be found on the Idaho Department of Insurance website through this link. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, view a list of available companies, and discover disciplinary actions.
Also read more on this page for car insurance in Idaho and CarInsuranceDIY.com.