Having to pay for expensive auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your family’s budget and make it hard to pay other bills. Price shopping at each renewal is free and is an excellent way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.
Online insurance companies like Geico, 21st Century and Progressive all claim big savings with TV and radio ads and it is difficult to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and find the best price available.
If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to cut your premiums and possibly find even better coverage. Finding the best rates in Perry is quite easy. Iowa drivers only need to know the most effective way to compare prices online.
You may qualify for discounts
Auto insurance companies do not advertise all available discounts very clearly, so the next list breaks down some of the more common and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance.
- Home Ownership Discount – Owning a home in Perry may trigger a policy discount on auto insurance since owning and maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle up before driving can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Defensive Driving Course – Participating in a defensive driving course could earn you a small percentage discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- ABS Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS braking systems or traction control can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Student in College – Any of your kids who attend college more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
We need to note that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works. But all discounts will bring down your overall premium however.
A list of auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- Geico offers discounts for emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, daytime running lights, good student, driver training, and federal employee.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include safe driver, bundle discounts, accident prevention training, anti-theft, homeowner, and multi-car.
- State Farm has discounts for Steer Clear safe driver discount, good student, anti-theft, passive restraint, safe vehicle, multiple policy, and driver’s education.
- MetLife offers premium reductions for defensive driver, good driver, good student, multi-policy, accident-free, claim-free
- 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including teen driver, automatic seat belts, early bird, good student, homeowners, 55 and older, and air bags.
- Progressive has savings for homeowner, good student, online quote discount, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
When quoting, ask every company which discounts can lower your rates. A few discounts might not be offered in your area. If you would like to view auto insurance companies with the best auto insurance discounts in Iowa, follow this link.
Local insurance agents
A small number of people just want to talk to an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Insurance agents are trained risk managers and help file insurance claims. An additional benefit of comparing rates online is that drivers can save money and get cheap auto insurance quotes and still choose a local agent. Supporting local agents is especially important in Perry.
To find an agent, once you fill out this form (opens in new window), your insurance data gets sent to local insurance agents in Perry that can provide for your coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go immediately to you. If you have a need to quote rates from a particular provider, just find their quoting web page and submit a quote form there.
If you would like to find a reputable agency, there are two types of agencies and how they function. Auto insurance policy providers may be either captive or independent. Either one can sell auto insurance policies, but it’s important to know the difference between them because it can factor into the type of agent you choose.
Independent Agents
These type of agents are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies and get the cheapest rates. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move your policy to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparing rate quotes, you need to get some free quotes from a couple of independent agencies to maximize your price options.
Shown below is a short list of independent insurance agents in Perry that may be able to provide free rate quotes.
Roberts-Smiley Agency – 609 1st Ave – Perry, IA 50220 – (515) 465-4101
Summerson Agency Inc – 1308 2nd St – Perry, IA 50220 – (515) 465-5308
Captive Insurance Agencies
Captive agencies write business for a single company like State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. Captives cannot provide prices from multiple companies so you need to shop around if the rates are high. These agents are well trained on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage.
Below is a short list of captive agencies in Perry that are able to give price quotes.
American Family Insurance – 1102 2nd St – Perry, IA 50220 – (515) 465-5639
Farm Bureau Insurance – 1206 Willis Ave – Perry, IA 50220 – (515) 465-2005
State Farm Insurance – 900 1st Ave – Perry, IA 50220 – (515) 465-3862
For insurance agencies in your area, visit this list of Perry insurance agencies.
Choosing the best insurance agent should depend on more than just the premium amount. These are some questions your agent should answer.
- Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Is every driver in your family covered?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
Beware of misleading auto insurance ads
Iowa consumers can’t get away from ads for cheaper auto insurance from companies such as Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make an identical promise that people will save just by switching your auto insurance policy to them.
How do they all lower your premium rates?
Most companies give the best rates for the type of driver that will not have excessive claims. A good example of a profitable risk profile might have to be between the ages of 30 and 50, has had continuous coverage, and does not commute to work. Anybody who matches those parameters will get low rates and have a good chance to cut their rates substantially.
People who do not fit the requirements must pay more expensive rates and this results in the customer buying from someone else. The trick companies use is to say “people that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s the way companies can advertise the savings.
Each company has different criteria, so you should compare price quotes frequently. It is impossible to predict with any certainty which company will have the best prices at this point in time.
When do I need an agent’s advice?
When it comes to buying coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- When would I need rental car insurance?
- Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
- Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
- Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.
Auto insurance coverage options
Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the usual coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Comprehensive auto coverage – Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like hitting a deer, damage from flooding and hail damage. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things like crashing into a ditch, driving through your garage door and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability – This can cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property by causing an accident. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage protects against claims like bail bonds, pain and suffering and medical expenses. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Iowa state law requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/15,000 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.
Since many Iowa drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (Iowa limits are 20/40/15), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like EMT expenses, dental work, X-ray expenses, rehabilitation expenses and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. It covers both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
More information is located on the . Click here for link. Consumers can file complaints about a company, find out industry alerts, find disaster information, and view agent and company licensing information.
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You can find cheaper coverage
We just presented many ways to reduce auto insurance rates online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding . Drivers may discover the best rates are with an unexpected company. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Cheap auto insurance is possible on the web and also from your neighborhood Perry agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies may not offer online rate quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agencies.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many instances, an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost while not skimping on critical coverages.