Perplexed by the crazy number of car insurance providers in your area? Drivers have so many options that it can really be a chore to find the best premium rates. Lots of people think Portland is a great city to raise a family in, but expensive premiums for car insurance can make it impossible to afford proper coverage amounts.
Get lower rates with these ten discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always publicize the entire discount list in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using when you .
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Not all car insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a discounted price on car insurance if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Professional Organizations – Being in specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
- Student in College – Children who attend college more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
- Accident Forgiveness – but some companies like Allstate, Progressive, and Geico allow you one accident before your rates go up with the catch being you have to be claim-free for a set time period.
- Portland Homeowners Discount – Owning a house in Portland can earn you a little savings because it requires personal responsibility.
- Telematics Discount – Insureds who allow their insurance company to study when and where they use their vehicle remotely such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive might see lower rates if they exhibit good driving behavior.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Early Switch Discount – Some companies reward drivers for signing up early. It could save around 10% when you .
- Cautious Driver Discounts – Accident-free drivers can save as much as half off their rates as compared to drivers with claims.
- Military Rewards – Being on active duty in the military could be rewarded with lower prices.
One thing to note about discounts is that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it’s just not the way it works.
A few popular companies and their possible discounts are included below.
- American Family may offer discounts for TimeAway discount, good student, good driver, early bird, multi-vehicle, and Steer into Savings.
- Farm Bureau discounts include 55 and retired, safe driver, multi-vehicle, renewal discount, good student, and youthful driver.
- State Farm may include discounts for multiple policy, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, safe vehicle, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and anti-theft.
- Travelers includes discounts for student away at school, hybrid/electric vehicle, save driver, driver training, IntelliDrive, new car, and home ownership.
- The Hartford may have discounts that include air bag, driver training, vehicle fuel type, good student, and bundle.
- Geico has discounts for good student, seat belt use, military active duty, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, and defensive driver.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online signing, continuous coverage, good student, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and online quote discount.
Before purchasing a policy, check with all the companies to apply every possible discount. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in Portland. For a list of insurers with the best car insurance discounts in North Dakota, click this link.
Performing a rate comparison can take time and effort if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You could waste time discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in Portland, or you could save time and use online quoting to maximize your effort.
Many insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and at least one company provides a quote based on that information. This eliminates the need for quote forms to each company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click to open in new window.
One minor caviat to comparing rates this way is you can’t choose which carriers you will receive quotes from. So if you want to choose specific providers to compare, we have a listing of low cost car insurance companies in North Dakota. View list of North Dakota insurance companies.
However you get your quotes, ensure you’re using apples-to-apples information for every quote you compare. If you have differing limits it will be nearly impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Portland.
What is the best car insurance coverage?
When buying coverage, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether you would benefit from professional advice.
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
- When should I remove comp and collision on my vehicle?
- Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
- Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
- Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
- Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
- When should I not file a claim?
- Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
Parts of your car insurance policy
Having a good grasp of your policy can help you determine appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Liability
This coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 25/50/25 which stand for a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as funeral expenses, emergency aid, repair costs for stationary objects and legal defense fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. North Dakota state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.
Auto collision coverage
Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as scraping a guard rail, backing into a parked car, hitting a mailbox and crashing into a building. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as a broken windshield, damage from flooding and hitting a bird. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Medical expense insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for short-term medical expenses like chiropractic care, surgery, funeral costs and doctor visits. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many North Dakota drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (25/50/25 in North Dakota), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Affordable car insurance is out there
Affordable car insurance is possible both online and from local insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies do not provide online quoting and most of the time these smaller providers provide coverage only through independent agents.
When searching for , never skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost, but do not skimp to save money.
Drivers leave their current company for many reasons like an unsatisfactory settlement offer, extreme rates for teen drivers, being labeled a high risk driver and policy cancellation. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new company is less work than it seems.