Are you a victim of high-priced auto insurance? Believe me when I say you’re not alone. Many insurance companies vie for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare car insurance companies and get the best coverage at the lowest price
If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to cut your premiums and possibly find even better coverage. Buying car insurance in Green Bay is quite easy. Wisconsin drivers only need to know the tricks to compare company rates over the internet.
Smart Consumers Save More
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.
- Where you live – Being located in a small town has it’s advantages when buying auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Fewer people means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
- A clean driving record saves money – A bad driving record has a big impact on rates. Even one ticket can increase rates forty percent or more. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. If you have serious violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find they need to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
- What type of vehicle do you drive? – The type of car you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in the rate you pay. Low performance passenger cars receive the most favorable rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Do you know you’re credit rating? – Your credit rating is a huge factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have lower credit ratings. If your credit score can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
- Your spouse saves you money – Getting married helps lower the price on auto insurance. Marriage is viewed as being more mature and statistics show married couples file fewer claims.
- Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
- Please use or commuting – The more you drive each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Vehicles that are left in the garage get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Verify your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage.
These discounts can slash auto insurance rates
Car insurance can cost a lot, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be requested specifically in order for you to get them. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
- Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Insuring multiple cars or trucks on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
- Good Students Pay Less – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts until age 25.
Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.
Do you really save 40% when you switch?
Consumers in Wisconsin can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings by companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico. They all say the same thing that you’ll save big if you move to them.
But how can every company claim to save you money?
Different companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. An example of a preferred risk could possibly be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will cut their rates substantially.
Consumers who do not match this ideal profile will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. The ads say “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.
This emphasizes why it’s extremely important to get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
More information is available on the website for the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Click here for link. Wisconsin drivers can find out industry alerts, file complaints about a company, and learn about specific coverages.
Other informative sites include this site for auto insurance rates in Wisconsin and this link where you can get more info about Green Bay auto insurance.
More effort can pay off
When you buy insurance online, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your strategy should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.
We’ve covered many ideas to save on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from some of the lesser-known companies. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Allstate or State Farm.