Saving money on Brooklyn Park auto insurance is always challenging for consumers not familiar with buying insurance online. You have so many options that it can turn into a lot of work to compare prices in Brooklyn Park.
Finding affordable coverage in Brooklyn Park is not that difficult. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. Minnesota drivers only need to know the tricks to get comparison quotes over the internet.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Car insurance companies don’t always advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Club Memberships – Being a member of a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break when buying auto insurance.
- Claim Free – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle on the same auto insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
- Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
- Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.
- Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Student in College – Children who are attending college without a vehicle on campus may qualify for this discount.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive better auto insurance rates.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To choose providers with the best auto insurance discounts in Brooklyn Park, click this link.
How to Get Brooklyn Park Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes
Getting better auto insurance pricing is not rocket science. All that’s required is to spend a few minutes on the computer to get quotes online from several insurance companies. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- The single most time-saving way to get quotes is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions to each individual auto insurance company. One form submission will return quotes from multiple companies. This is by far the quickest method.
- A more difficult way to compare rate quotes is going to each individual company website and request a quote. For instance, let’s say you want to compare Nationwide, Geico and GMAC. To find out each rate you need to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Brooklyn Park, click here.
- The most time-consuming way of comparing rate quotes is driving to local Brooklyn Park insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you prefer the trained guidance that only a license agent can provide. You can, however, get the lowest quotes online and still use a local agent and we’ll touch on that later.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just double check that you are using the exact same coverage limits for every company. If you use different liability limits then you won’t be able to determine which rate is truly the best in Brooklyn Park.
Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper
Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. Understanding what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.
The list below includes some of the factors that factor into premiums.
- No coverage gaps is important – Not having insurance is illegal and you will pay a penalty because you let your insurance expire. Not only will rates go up, failure to provide proof of insurance will get you a license revocation or jail time.You may need to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Minnesota motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
- Women pay lower rates – Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men cause accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
- Your location is important – Choosing to live in less populated areas is a positive aspect when it comes to auto insurance. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated Minnesota areas have to deal with more traffic problems and much longer commute distances. More time on the road means more change of being in an accident.
- One company can mean more discounts – Some auto insurance companies will give a discount to people who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can add up to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. If you currently are using one company, it’s in your best interest to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal. Drivers may still find a better deal by buying auto insurance from a different company.
- Lower rates with optional equipment – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can help prevent your car from being stolen.
- Extra coverages can waste money – There are a lot of add-on coverages that you can buy if you aren’t careful. Coverages for roadside assistance, towing coverage and term life insurance are examples of these. These coverages may sound good at first, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
When might I need help?
When it comes to buying coverage for your vehicles, there is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is unique.
These are some specific questions may help highlight whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- What is the minimum liability in Minnesota?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- When would I need rental car insurance?
- What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
But don’t I need an insurance agent?
Certain consumers prefer to get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Educated insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and give you peace of mind. The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find the best rates but still work with a licensed agent.
Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is transmitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. There is no need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. How cool is that?!
Selecting an provider needs to be determined by more than just the price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
Two types of Brooklyn Park insurance agencies
When searching for a reliable agent, there are two types of agencies from which to choose. Agencies in Brooklyn Park can either be captive or independent. Both insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning how they are different since it may influence buying decisions.
Captive Agents
Captive agents are contracted to one company such as AAA, Allstate and State Farm. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are very knowledgeable in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage. Some people will only buy insurance from these agents partially due to the prominence of the brand and strong financial ratings.
Below is a list of captive agencies in Brooklyn Park that can give you rate quotes.
- Farmers Insurance Group – 7420 Unity Ave N # 110 – Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 – (763) 561-8330
- American Family Insurance – 7710 Brooklyn Blvd # 205 – Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 – (763) 424-8818
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agents do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When shopping rates, it’s a good idea to get quotes from multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller regional carriers which can save you money.
The following are independent agencies in Brooklyn Park that are able to give price quote information.
- A-1 Insurance Inc – 6901 78th Ave N # 104 – Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 – (763) 550-9394
- Gary Hockert Agency – 3621 85th Ave N # 103 – Brooklyn Park, MN 55443 – (763) 424-7977
- Jeffrey P Wieden Insurance – 6901 78th Ave N # 102 – Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 – (763) 566-9890
To view a full list of insurance agents in Brooklyn Park, view this link.
Once you have satisfactory answers to any questions you have and an acceptable price quote, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that will provide auto insurance coverage.
Advertising myths
Minnesota consumers can’t ignore all the ads for cheaper car insurance from companies such as State Farm, Geico and Progressive. They all make an identical promise that you can save if you move your policy.
But how can every company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.
All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver they prefer to insure. A good example of a preferred risk could be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.
Potential insureds who do not match the “perfect” profile must pay higher prices and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. This illustrates why it is so important to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
Compare but don’t skimp
When buying insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced full coverage and learned later that they should have had better coverage. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just presented a lot of techniques to reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small mutual company.
Budget-conscious auto insurance is available from both online companies and with local Brooklyn Park insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
Some additional reading
More detailed Minnesota auto insurance information is available at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Minnesota drivers can download brochures, view agent and company licensing information, get help finding coverage, and report car insurance fraud.