Wish you could get a refund on an expensive car insurance policy? Don’t feel bad because you’re not the only one. Because you have many insurance companies to choose from, it is hard for the average consumer to choose the lowest price insurer.
It is always a good idea to do rate comparisons as often as possible since insurance prices change regularly. Just because you had the best deal at your last renewal a different company probably has better rates today. You can find a lot of information about car insurance online but you can learn the best ways to quit paying high car insurance rates.
Pricing cheaper car insurance coverage in Winston is easy if you know what you’re doing. Basically, anyone who is shopping for car insurance most likely will be able to find lower rates. But Oregon vehicle owners must understand how big insurance companies sell online.
How to shop car insurance online
Effectively comparing car insurance prices is a ton of work if you don’t utilize the best way to get rate quotes. You can spend countless hours talking to insurance agencies in Winston, or you can utilize the web to get prices fast.
Many of the larger companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers enter their policy data once, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do quote requests to each company.
To get comparison pricing now click here to start a free quote.
The only downside to comparing rates this way is you don’t know exactly the insurers you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to choose specific providers to receive pricing from, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Oregon. Click here to view list.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but do your best to enter the same deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If you have unequal deductibles or liability limits then you won’t be able to decipher which rate is best in Winston. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding more affordable insurance. Not every company provides rate quotes online, so it’s important to also get price estimates from the smaller companies as well.
How car insurance companies determine premiums
A large part of saving on car insurance is knowing some of the elements that go into determining your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels, this allows you to make good choices that could help you find better car insurance rates. Many factors are taken into consideration when you get your auto insurance bill. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, but others are not as apparent like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating.
- More stress means more cost – Occupations such as real estate brokersairline pilots and emergency personnel have higher premiums than the average policyholder in part from job stress and lots of time spent away from family. Other occupations such as professors, athletes and homemakers receive lower rates.
- How much liability – The liability section of your policy will protect you when you are determined to be liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Your policy’s liability insurance provides for a legal defense to attempt to prove you were not liable. It is affordable coverage as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
- Bump up deductibles to lower rates – Your deductibles tell how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage insurance, also called comprehensive and collision insurance, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered would be a windshield broken by a bird, vandalism, or theft of your vehicle. The more of the claim the insured has to pay upfront, the bigger discount you will receive.
- High credit means lower rates – Your credit score can be an important factor in determining premium rates. If your credit history could use some work, you could save money insuring your vehicle by improving your rating. People that have very good credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have worse credit.
- Single drivers take more risk – Walking down the aisle actually saves money on your car insurance policy. Having a significant other may mean you are more stable financially and insurance companies reward insureds because drivers who are married file infrequent claims.
- Women tend to cost less – Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Females and males are responsible for at-fault accidents in similar numbers, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Male teenagers have the highest risk to insure and therefore pay the highest rates.
- Too many policy claims will drive prices up – Insurance companies in Oregon generally give better rates to insureds who are not frequent claim filers. If you file claims often, you can expect higher premiums or even policy non-renewal. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
- High premiums for younger drivers – Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents , and are generally more financially stable.Youthful drivers are known to be less responsible when at the wheel of a vehicle therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
Discounts for cheaper car insurance quotes
Companies don’t always publicize the entire discount list very well, so below is a list a few of the more well known in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits that may apply to you.
- Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify for a discount when you with select insurance companies.
- Defensive Driver – Passing a safe driver class may get you a small discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Sign Early and Save – A few larger companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current policy expires. You could save around 10% when you .
- Sign Online – A few companies give back up to $50 over the internet.
- Telematics Data – Drivers who elect to allow their insurance company to look at driving habits through the use of a telematics system like Allstate’s Drivewise may see discounts as long as they are good drivers.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of 25 to 30%.
- Distant Student Discount – living away from home attending college and do not take a car to college may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to use a seat belt can save a little off the personal injury premium cost.
You can save money using discounts, but some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Despite the fact that it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will reduce your overall premium however.
A few popular companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be found below.
- Geico may have discounts that include defensive driver, multi-vehicle, anti-theft, multi-policy, membership and employees, emergency military deployment, and good student.
- SAFECO offers discounts for anti-theft, teen safe driver, safe driver, drive less, teen safety rewards, anti-lock brakes, and multi-car.
- State Farm discounts include defensive driving training, multiple autos, multiple policy, passive restraint, accident-free, and safe vehicle.
- MetLife includes discounts for claim-free, good driver, good student, defensive driver, multi-policy, and accident-free.
- 21st Century may offer discounts for defensive driver, air bags, theft prevention, homeowners, driver training, anti-lock brakes, and automatic seat belts.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, online quote discount, homeowner, online signing, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
Before purchasing a policy, check with each insurance company how you can save money. A few discounts might not apply in Winston. To find providers with discount rates in Winston, follow this link.
You may need specialized car insurance coverage
When buying the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
- Do I need motorclub coverage?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
- Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
- What is the minimum liability in Oregon?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Car insurance savings summarized
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to get the best coverage possible at the lowest possible cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
Some car insurance companies may not have rate quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent agencies. More affordable car insurance can be bought both online as well as from insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.
More resources for learning
More information can be found on the through this link. Consumers can read consumer alerts, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find out industry alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.
Other useful links include this page for car insurance prices in Oregon and QuoteClickSave.com.