Have you fallen victim to high-priced car insurance? Trust us, there are many Waterloo consumers feeling the pinch from expensive car insurance.
Drivers have so many auto insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have a choice, too many choices makes it more difficult to find a good deal.
It’s a good idea to shop coverage around occasionally because insurance rates fluctuate regularly. Even if you think you had the best rates a year ago you can probably find a lower rate today. So forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re going to learn the fastest and easiest way to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.
Why some people pay less for insurance in Waterloo
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get big savings.
- Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Occupations such as doctors, business owners and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates in part from high stress and long work hours. Other jobs such as scientists, historians and the unemployed pay the least.
- Mature drivers pay less – Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Teenage drivers have a tendency to be more careless in a vehicle therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
- Men are more aggressive – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men cause accidents in similar numbers, but the males have costlier accidents. They also have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
- Performance influences rates – The make and model of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for small economy passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Never go without insurance – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a fast way to increase your car insurance rates. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage may earn you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
How to Compare Car Insurance Costs in Waterloo, IA
Most major insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate quote insurance quotes on their websites. Getting online rates doesn’t take a lot of time as you just enter the coverage amounts you desire into the quote form. Upon sending the form, the company’s rating system automatically retrieves your credit score and driving record and generates a price determined by many factors. This simplifies rate comparisons, but having to visit several different sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s absolutely necessary to do this if you are searching for a better rate.
The easy way to compare rates
A quicker way to compare rates makes use of a single form to obtain quotes from many companies. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online price comparison much more enjoyable. As soon as you send your information, it gets priced and you can choose any of the quotes returned.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
If you want to get comparison pricing now, simply click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you copy the coverage information as close as possible to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will receive rate comparison quotes based on identical coverages.
Take advantage of discounts
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings.
- Organization Discounts – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break on your policy.
- Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
- Safety Course Discount – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more depending on where you live.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Discount for Swiching Early – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current policy expires. The savings is around 10%.
- Senior Discount – Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
It’s important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.
To choose insurers with discount car insurance rates in Iowa, click here to view.
But I prefer to buy car insurance from an agent
Some people would prefer to visit with an insurance agent and that is a personal choice. One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is you can get lower rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for local businesses is important especially in Waterloo.
By using this simple form, your information is transmitted to participating agents in Waterloo who will compete for your business. You won’t need to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. How’s that for easy! You’ll get the best rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.
What type of Waterloo insurance agency is right for you?
When searching for a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents that you can select. Insurance agencies in Waterloo are either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Insurance Agents
These agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. To move your coverage to a new company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and that require little work on your part.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you include multiple independent agents to get the best comparison.
Below are independent agents in Waterloo who may be able to give you pricing information.
American Republic Insurance Co – 3253 University Ave # A – Waterloo, IA 50701 – (319) 234-0907
Fish-Johnson Insurance – 1215 W 4th St – Waterloo, IA 50702 – (319) 233-3335
Sinnott Agency – 622 W 4th St – Waterloo, IA 50702 – (319) 233-6103
Sinnott Agency – 632 W 4th St – Waterloo, IA 50702 – (319) 233-6103
Elliott-Hartman Agency – 611 Ansborough Ave – Waterloo, IA 50701 – (319) 233-8459
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents can only place business with one company like State Farm or Allstate. Captives cannot compare other company’s rates so they have no alternatives for high prices. They receive extensive training in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
Shown below is a short list of captive agents in Waterloo willing to provide price quotes.
American Family Insurance – 820 Laporte Rd – Waterloo, IA 50702 – (319) 233-1555
Allstate Insurance – 3120 Kimball Ave # A – Waterloo, IA 50702 – (319) 235-3008
Shelter Insurance – 3017 University Ave – Waterloo, IA 50701 – (319) 235-8090
State Farm Insurance – 1729 Falls Ave # D – Waterloo, IA 50701 – (319) 235-1401
Farmers Insurance Group – 501 Sycamore St # 120 – Waterloo, IA 50703 – (319) 433-0212
To view a complete directory of captive agencies in Waterloo, visit this site.
Selecting a car insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
Once you have positive responses to any questions you have and locked in a price quote, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that is a good match to properly service your car insurance policy.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When it comes to buying the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Every insured’s situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.
- What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
- Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
- Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
- Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
- Should I buy more coverage than the required Iowa minimum liability coverage?
- How much liability coverage do I need in Iowa?
- Who is covered by my policy?
- Am I getting all the discounts available?
- Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Additional information is available on the website for the Iowa Insurance Division located here. Iowa consumers can read industry bulletins, find out industry alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.
Summing up your car insurance search
Discount car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and with local Waterloo insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to lower your car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the best prices are with a small mutual company. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate and Progressive.