Shopping for low-cost Duluth car insurance over the internet can seem to be difficult for people who are new to comparison shopping online. With so many choices of online companies available, how can Duluth drivers have a chance to compare every company to locate the cheapest available price?
Make smart decisions and save
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
The list below includes a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate prices.
- Clean credit earns discounts – Your credit history is a important factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. If your credit history is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower credit scores.
- Women pay lower rates – Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Both sexes cause accidents at a similar rate, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically receive more costly citations such as reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- Pleasure use saves money – The more you drive in a year the higher your rates will be. Most insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Autos not used for work or commuting receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your car insurance policy is showing the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- High deductibles save money – Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, or theft. The more you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
How to Get Car Insurance in Duluth, Minnesota
There are a variety of methods to compare car insurance prices but there is one way that is easier and takes less work. You can waste hours talking to insurance companies in Duluth, or you could save time and use online quotes to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
The majority of car insurance companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and at least one company returns a rated price for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests for every car insurance company.
To find out how much you can save on car insurance click to open in new window.
The only drawback to pricing coverage this way is you can’t choose which carriers you will receive quotes from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we have a page of low cost car insurance companies in Minnesota. Click here for list of insurance companies in Minnesota.
Which method you use is up to you, but make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage information on every quote. If you enter different deductibles it’s impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Duluth. Just a small difference in coverages may result in large price differences. And when comparison shopping, more quotes helps locate the best offered rates.
Are you falling for claims of savings?
Companies like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on television and other media. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings after switching to them. But how can every company say the same thing? This is how they do it.
Different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a driver they prefer might be over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and most likely will save a lot of money.
Potential customers who fall outside these standards will be quoted a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. This emphasizes why you need to get as many comparisons as possible. Because you never know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
You probably qualify for some discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both well-publicized and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance.
- Accident Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
- Paperwork-free – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy online.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Discount for New Cars – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.
- Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
- Driver’s Ed – Have your child complete a driver education course if it’s offered in school.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
For a list of insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts in Duluth, click here.
Neighborhood insurance agents
A small number of people would rather buy from a local agent and that is just fine! The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is you may find the best rates and still choose a local agent.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, your insurance data is emailed to local insurance agents who will compete to get your business. You don’t have to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?! You’ll get the best rates AND a local agent.
Picking an provider shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Minnesota?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
To view licensed agents in Duluth, go to this page.
After getting good answers to any questions you have and an acceptable price quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance company that meets your needs to adequately provide car insurance.
Additional detailed information can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, learn about specific coverages, and read industry bulletins.
Affordable insurance is out there
In this article, we covered a lot of ways to shop for car insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from an unexpected company.
People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including denial of a claim, being labeled a high risk driver, delays in responding to claim requests or poor customer service. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.
Cheap car insurance can be found from both online companies in addition to many Duluth insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some car insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.