People not familiar with comparison shopping online will discover shopping for affordable Bessemer car insurance quite difficult.
Buying the cheapest car insurance in Bessemer is simple if you know the tricks. Just about every vehicle owner who is required by state law to have car insurance should be able to cut their insurance bill. But Alabama car owners can benefit from knowing how companies sell online because it can help you find the best coverage.
Comprehensive Bessemer Car Insurance Comparison Quotes
Shopping for lower car insurance rates can be a daunting task if you don’t understand the fastest way to get free quotes. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with agents in Bessemer, or you can utilize online quoting to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Most of the larger companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers enter their policy data once, and each participating company returns a competitive quote. This eliminates the need for form submissions for every car insurance company. To find out what other companies charge click here to start a free quote.
The one disadvantage to pricing coverage this way is you are unable to specify the insurers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of companies who write car insurance in Alabama. Click here to view list.
However you get your quotes, ensure you’re using exactly the same quote information on every quote. If each company quotes different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to find the best deal in Bessemer. Slightly different coverage limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. It’s important to know that comparing more company’s prices will improve the odds of getting the best price.
Don’t overlook these discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. Most are applied when you get a quote, but a few need to be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
- Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
- Anti-theft System – Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.
- Save over 55 – Mature drivers may be able to get reduced rates.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags can get savings up to 30%.
- Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
- Driver Safety – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
- Distant Student – Any of your kids living away from home attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
It’s important to note that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will cut your overall premium however.
To choose providers with the best car insurance discounts in Bessemer, click this link.
Understand what determines the rate you pay
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
- Special features that cut premiums – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
- Don’t sacrifice liability coverage – Your policy’s liability coverage provides coverage in the event that a court rules you are at fault for damages caused by your negligence. It provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
- Where you live is a factor – Living in a small town can be a good thing when insuring your vehicles. City drivers regularly have much more traffic and longer commute times. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident.
- Add-on coverages can add up – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Things like roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem good at first, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- Your spouse saves you money – Being married helps lower the price on your car insurance policy. Marriage translates into being more mature and responsible and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.
- Better credit means lower rates – Credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. If your credit is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure than those with poor credit.
Are insurance agents obsolete?
A small number of people prefer to buy from a local agent and that is OK! The biggest benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find lower rates but also keep your business local. Buying from local agencies is important especially in Bessemer.
After filling out this simple form, your insurance data is instantly submitted to insurance agents in Bessemer who will battle for your coverage. You never need to even leave your home since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. Now that’s easy! You can find the lowest rates AND an agent nearby.
Pick the best auto insurance agent in Bessemer for you
When researching a local agent, there are a couple of different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in Bessemer are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
These agents are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and that require little work on your part.
When comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to contact several independent insurance agents for the best price selection. They often place coverage with smaller regional carriers which may provide better rates.
The following is a list of independent insurance agencies in Bessemer who may be able to give you comparison quotes.
- Ken Holt Insurance Inc – 1423 4th Ave N – Bessemer, AL 35020 – (205) 424-8368
- A 1 Insurance – 21375 Highway 216 – Bessemer, AL 35020 – (205) 477-8040
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents have only one company to place business with such as State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They generally cannot place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Captives are very knowledgeable on the products they sell which can be an advantage. Consumers often buy from captive agents mostly because of the prominence of the brand and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
Shown below is a short list of captive insurance agents in Bessemer willing to provide price quote information.
- Allstate Insurance – 1285 Hueytown Rd # B – Bessemer, AL 35023 – (205) 497-8714
For a complete listing of captive insurance agents in Bessemer, visit this site.
Picking an auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the price. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
After receiving good answers to your questions as well as a affordable price, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agent that is a good match to adequately provide car insurance.
Additional information can be read on the Alabama Department of Insurance website found here. Alabama consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, read state legal mandates and laws, and read industry bulletins.
Are car insurance companies telling the truth?
State Farm, Allstate and Geico regularly use ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you move to them. How does each company say the same thing?
Different companies have a preferred profile for the right customer they prefer to insure. For instance, a preferred risk might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any new insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential customers who don’t qualify for these standards will be quoted a higher premium which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can state the savings.
This emphasizes why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
Quote often and quote early
Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including high rates after DUI convictions, not issuing a premium refund, extreme rates for teen drivers or even unfair underwriting practices. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new car insurance company is not as hard as you think.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.
Cost effective car insurance can be found online in addition to many Bessemer insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.