Are you sick and tired of paying out the nose to pay your auto insurance bill each month? You are no different than many other Nebraska drivers. Many insurance companies vie for your insurance dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a insurance company to find the lowest rate possible.
Why your rate might be higher
Lots of factors are used when quoting car insurance. Some factors are common sense such as your driving history, but others are less apparent such as your marital status or your commute time.
- Compare rates if you bundle your policies – Lots of insurers allow lower prices to clients who carry more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it’s always a smart idea to comparison shop to guarantee you are still saving the most.
- Extra coverages may not be needed – Insurance policies have a lot of additional coverages that can add up on your policy. Add-on coverages like rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage, and additional equipment coverage may not be needed and are just wasting money. They may sound like good ideas when discussing your needs, but now you might not need them so remove them and pocket the money.
- High performance vehicles cost more to insure – The make and model of the vehicle you need to insure makes a big difference in determining your rates. Economy passenger models usually have the lowest rates, but many other things help determine your insurance rates.
- Keep the miles off and save – The more you drive your car annually the higher the price you pay to insure it. Most insurance companies calculate prices partially by how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that do not get driven very much can get a lower rate as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your auto insurance policy properly reflects the correct driver usage.
- Auto insurance lapses lead to higher auto insurance rates – Having a lapse in insurance coverage will be a guaranteed way to trigger a rate increase. And not only will your rates increase, the inability to provide proof of insurance may result in fines and jail time. You may then have to file a SR-22 with the Nebraska motor vehicle department.
- Safeguard your assets with liability insurance – The liability coverage on your policy will afford coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for an accident. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. It is affordable coverage compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
- Men pay more for insurance – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean males are worse at driving than females. Males and females cause at-fault accidents in similar numbers, but men tend to have higher claims. Not only that, but men also receive more costly citations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
- Filing insurance claims can cost you more – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can pretty much guarantee much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Companies in Nebraska generally give discounts to people that do not abuse their auto insurance. Your insurance policy is intended for claims that pose a financial burden.
More discounts mean lower premiums
Auto insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but there could be significant discounts that you may not even be aware of. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at quote time, but once in a while a discount must be asked about before they will apply.
- Driver’s Ed – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Driving Data Discount – Insureds that choose to allow data collection to study their driving habits through the use of a telematics system such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive might see lower rates if they are good drivers.
- Accident Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents can save substantially in comparison to accident-prone drivers.
- Discounts for Federal Employees – Active or former government employment can save as much as 8% with a few auto insurance companies.
- First Accident Forgiveness – This isn’t a discount exactly, but some insurance companies may permit one accident before raising your premiums so long as you are claim-free prior to being involved in the accident.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By making one initial payment instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Paperwork-free – Some auto insurance companies give back up to $50 digitally online.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Select companies reward you with a discount if you purchase some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars with ABS braking systems or traction control are safer to drive so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Successfully completing a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
As a footnote on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it just doesn’t work that way.
To find insurers that provide some of the discounts listed above in Nebraska, click here.
It’s not one size fits all
When choosing proper insurance coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your situation will benefit from professional help.
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- What is the minimum liability in Nebraska?
- If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
More tips and info about auto insurance is located at the Nebraska Department of Insurance website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, view a list of available companies, get help finding coverage, and file complaints about a company.
Additional helpful sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this list of insurance agents in David City.
More effort can pay off
Cost effective auto insurance is definitely available both online and also from your neighborhood David City agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some auto insurance companies may not have the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller providers only sell through independent agencies.
When searching for , it’s very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost.
You just learned quite a bit of information on how to save on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding . You may even find the best price on auto insurance is with a small local company. They may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.