People who are new to price shopping insurance online could find purchasing low-cost Springfield car insurance is not as easy as it seems.
You should take the time to price shop coverage once or twice a year because prices are usually higher with each renewal. If you had the lowest price a year ago there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the easiest way to find better coverage at a better price.
Cut your premium with these six discounts
Companies do not advertise all available discounts very well, so the following is a list of both well-publicized as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially when compared to accident-prone drivers.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Good Students Pay Less – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
- Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- Discount for Swiching Early – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck.
To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Missouri, click here to view.
What is the best insurance coverage?
When it comes to choosing coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Every situation is different.
For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you may require specific advice.
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- How much liability coverage do I need in Missouri?
- What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
- Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Is my vehicle covered for smoke damage?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in Missouri?
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.
Drivers who switch save $394 a year? Really?
Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim that you can save after switching your coverage to them. How do they all say the same thing? This is how they do it.
Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver who matches those parameters will get very good rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential insureds who do not match these standards will have to pay higher premiums and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That’s why companies can make those claims. Because of the profiling, you need to quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
More detailed Missouri car insurance information is available at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
Car insurance coverages
Understanding the coverages of your car insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Liability coverages – This provides protection from damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers things like pain and suffering, loss of income, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and attorney fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Missouri requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – This protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many Missouri drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (25/50/10 in Missouri), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for claims like crashing into a ditch, colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical expense insurance – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for bills for EMT expenses, pain medications, nursing services and chiropractic care. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – This coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hitting a deer, damage from getting keyed, hitting a bird, falling objects and hail damage. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Compare but don’t skimp
As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
Budget-conscious car insurance is possible both online as well as from independent agents in Springfield, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
Consumers change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including high prices, questionable increases in premium, being labeled a high risk driver and even policy non-renewal. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company can be easier than you think.