People who are new to price shopping insurance online will discover finding low-cost Fremont auto insurance quite difficult.
It’s smart to compare prices before your policy renews because insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Just because you found the best deal on your last policy there may be better deals available now. So forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you the fastest and easiest way to save on auto insurance.
This article will help you learn the most effective way to quote insurance and some tricks to saving. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these tips. But Nebraska car owners should learn how big insurance companies price insurance differently and apply this information to your search.
How insurance companies determine rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that go into determining auto insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better auto insurance rates.
Listed below are some of the items companies use to determine your rates.
- With age comes lower rates – More mature drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
- You might want pay the small claims yourself – Auto insurance companies in Nebraska provide lower rates to people who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Credit scores impact auto insurance rates – Credit score is a important factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Drivers with excellent credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower credit ratings. So if your credit rating is low, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
- A clean driving record saves money – Careful drivers have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Even one ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Drivers who get flagrant violations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
Compare Quotes for Fremont Auto Insurance
To find the best auto insurance prices, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from different in Fremont, Nebraskainsurance companies. The best way to compare insurance prices involves getting comparison quotes online. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- The fastest way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do a different quote for each company you want a rate for. Completing one form will get you rate comparisons from several companies. It’s the fastest way to compare.
- A more time consuming way to shop for auto insurance online requires a trip to the website of each company and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want rates from Progressive, Liberty Mutual and American Family. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to enter your coverage information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Fremont, click here.
- The most time-consuming method to get comparison rates to different Fremont agent offices. Shopping for auto insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you have a need for the trained guidance of a local Fremont agent. It is possible to obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and we’ll talk about that later.
It’s up to you which method you use, but make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for each comparison quote. If your comparisons have differing limits it will be very difficult to determine which rate is truly the best in Fremont. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages may result in a large different in cost. It’s important to know that getting more free quotes provides better odds of finding the best rates.
Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?
State Farm, Geico and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you switch to them. How can each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be over the age of 50, has no driving citations, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who fall outside these standards will be charged higher prices and ends up with business not being written. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That is how companies can advertise the way they do.
That is why it’s extremely important to get as many comparisons as possible. Because you never know which company will give you the biggest savings.
Save money by taking advantage of these discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but companies offer discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at quote time, but a few must be asked about before being credited.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple vehicles on the same auto insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Resident Student – Children living away from home attending college and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
- No Claims – Good drivers with no accidents pay less as compared to accident-prone drivers.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will bring down your overall premium however.
To see a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Nebraska, follow this link.
Online quotes with a local Fremont insurance agent
Some people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is OK! One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain lower rates and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for local agencies is definitely important in Fremont.
After completing this quick form, your insurance data is immediately sent to participating agents in Fremont who will return price quotes for your coverage. There is no reason to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to work with.
Do you need an independent or captive insurance agency?
When researching a good Fremont insurance agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Fremont agents can either be captive or independent (non-captive).
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with many different companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency.
When searching for an agent, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection. They also have the ability to place coverage with different regional companies which may provide better rates.
The following is a short list of independent agencies in Fremont that are able to give comparison quotes.
- Insurance America – 445 E 1st St – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 727-8850
- Mike Shanahan Insurance – 1735 E Military Ave # 4 – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 721-9255
- Agency – 210 W 23rd St – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 721-1162
- Tony Hale Agency Inc – 2300 Laverna St – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 721-9610
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive insurance agents have only one company to place business with like AAA, Allstate and State Farm. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers often choose to use a captive agent mostly because of the brand legacy and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Listed below are captive insurance agents in Fremont that can give you rate quotes.
- State Farm Insurance – 1455 N Bell St – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 727-4861
- Farm Bureau Financial Svc – 1900 E Military Ave # 248 – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 721-2644
- Farmers Insurance Group – 2428 N Lincoln Ave – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 721-7684
- American Family Insurance – 245 E 5th St – Fremont, NE 68025 – (402) 721-5442
To view a full list of Fremont captive insurance agents, please click here.
Selecting an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just a low price. These questions are important to ask:
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
After getting positive responses and an acceptable price quote, you may have just found an insurance agent that can provide auto insurance coverage.
Additional auto insurance information can be found on the Nebraska Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, get help finding coverage, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
Keep this in mind
While you’re price shopping online, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped liability coverage limits and found out when filing a claim that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
You just learned a lot of techniques to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company.
People switch companies for a variety of reasons including delays in paying claims, lack of trust in their agent, unfair underwriting practices and even not issuing a premium refund. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new insurance company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.