Nobody looks forward to paying for car insurance, in particular when they are paying too much.
Numerous car insurance companies battle for your business, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the best rates possible.
If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Buying car insurance in South Bend is quite easy. Although Indiana drivers do need to understand how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and use this information to your advantage.
How to Compare South Bend Car Insurance Rates
There are several ways to get quotes from different in South Bend, INinsurance companies. The fastest way to find competitive insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- One of the best ways to find low rates is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This form keeps you from doing a different quote for each company. One simple form gets rate comparisons .
- A different way to get quotes online is to take the time to go to the website for each individual company to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want rates from State Farm, Geico and Allstate. To get each rate you have to spend time on each company’s site to enter your coverage information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in South Bend, click here.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you’re using identical quote information for each price quote. If you compare different deductibles it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison in South Bend. Having just a slight variation in limits may result in large price differences. And when price shopping your coverage, having more price comparisons will increase your chances of finding lower pricing.
Be sure to get all your discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but a few must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Drive Safe and Save – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
- Memberships – Affiliation with certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break when buying car insurance.
- Safety Course Discount – Taking a driver safety course could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don’t profit that way. But all discounts will reduce your premiums.
To see a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in South Bend, follow this link.
How do I know if I need professional advice?
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.
- What are Indiana no-fault laws?
- How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
- Does my vehicle qualify for pleasure use?
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- How much liability coverage do I need in Indiana?
- Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
More information can be read on the website for the Indiana Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, download brochures, read industry bulletins, and get help finding coverage.
Also read more on Wikipedia and this page of insurance agents in South Bend.
The car insurance bait and switch
Companies like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads in print and on television. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big after switching your coverage to them. How can each company make almost identical claims?
All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and drives newer vehicles. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.
Consumers who do not match the requirements will be quoted a higher premium which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.
This emphasizes why it’s extremely important to get as many comparisons as possible. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
Car insurance 101
Understanding the coverages of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the normal coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Liability coverages – This protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which means a limit of $100,000 per injured person, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for claims such as emergency aid, funeral expenses, medical services, attorney fees and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Indiana requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.
Since many Indiana drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Collision coverage – This covers damage to your vehicle from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against things like backing into a parked car, crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb, hitting a mailbox and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Coverage for medical expenses – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for immediate expenses such as nursing services, funeral costs, pain medications, chiropractic care and dental work. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Comprehensive car insurance – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like hitting a deer, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and fire damage. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
More comparisons equals lower rates
We just presented a lot of techniques to get a better price on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with a lesser-known regional company. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Discount car insurance can be bought both online in addition to many South Bend insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.