I can’t think of anyone who looks forward to buying car insurance, in particular when their premiums are too high.
Many insurance companies vie for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a insurer to discover the definitive best rate
If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Portland is not that difficult. Nevertheless, Oregon car owners need to have an understanding of how companies sell online and use this information to your advantage.
Quick Portland Car Insurance Quotes
When shopping for car insurance there are multiple ways to compare quotes and find the best price. The easiest way by far to find the cheapest insurance rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.
- The first (and easiest) way to get quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form click to view form in new window. This easy form prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for every car insurance company. A single form will return quotes from many national carriers.
- A harder way to get quotes online consists of visiting each company website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s say you want to compare rates from Progressive, Geico and GMAC. To find out each rate you need to visit each site and enter your policy data, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Portland, click here.
- The least efficient method of getting rate comparisons is driving to local Portland insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you prefer the professional advice that only a license agent can provide. Drivers can find lower rates online but buy from a local insurance agent and we’ll talk about that later.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples coverages and limits for each comparison quote. If you use different deductibles it’s impossible to make a fair comparison in Portland. Just a small difference in limits could mean much higher rates. It’s important to know that more quotes provides better odds of finding a lower rate.
Don’t overlook these seven discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always advertise all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down some of the more common and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance.
- Save over 55 – Mature drivers may receive a small decrease in premiums.
- Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
- No Charge for an Accident – A few companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- No Claims – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially compared to frequent claim filers.
- Clubs and Organizations – Participating in certain professional organizations could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
- Anti-theft Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for switching policies before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way.
For a list of insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Oregon, click here.
Quote online but work with a neighborhood agent
A small number of people would rather get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find better rates and still choose a local agent.
Once you complete this short form, the quote information gets sent to insurance agents in Portland who will battle for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to visit any agencies due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. How’s that for easy! You can find the lowest rates AND a local agent.
Selecting an provider needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. These questions are important to ask:
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
Listed below is a short list of insurance companies in Portland who can help you get price quotes.
Farmers Insurance Group – 12520 NE Halsey St, Portland, OR 97230 – (503) 257-3161
Allstate Insurance – 1439 SE 122nd Ave, Portland, OR 97233 – (503) 255-3490
Fullhart Insurance Inc – 13535 SW 72nd Ave # 140, Portland, OR 97223 – (503) 598-9400
Roman-Goldstein Insurance – 1 SW Columbia St # 2, Portland, OR 97258 – (503) 222-6601
Boyanovsky Agency – 620 SE 181st Ave, Portland, OR 97233 – (503) 667-4949
State Farm Insurance – 1316 SW 2nd Ave, Portland, OR 97201 – (503) 222-6601
Upon receiving good answers to your questions and a good coverage price, most likely you have located a company that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.
Different people need different coverages
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions might help in determining if you would benefit from professional advice.
- Is Oregon a no-fault state?
- Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
- Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
- When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
- What is the minimum liability in Oregon?
If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Car insurance policy coverages
Understanding the coverages of your car insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find the normal coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Medical costs insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills like doctor visits, X-ray expenses, nursing services and rehabilitation expenses. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
UM/UIM Coverage
This gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many Oregon drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/20 in Oregon), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane, falling objects, hitting a bird and a broken windshield. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Collision protection
Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers things like sideswiping another vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability
This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.
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 liability limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against things such as attorney fees, emergency aid and bail bonds. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Oregon requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/20,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.
Quote often and quote early
We just showed you many ways to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. They can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.
Affordable car insurance can be purchased on the web and with local Portland insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, someone dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Oregon drivers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read consumer alerts, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and discover disciplinary actions.
Also read more on this online resource for car insurance quotes in Oregon and this page of insurance agents in Portland.