Scraping up a payment for pricey auto insurance can diminish your family’s budget and force you to make tough financial choices. Doing a rate comparison is free and is an excellent way to ensure you are getting the best deal.
You have multiple auto insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to locate the cheapest rates.
It’s smart to compare premium rates on a regular basis since rates tend to go up over time. Even if you think you had the best deal a year ago you may be paying too much now. There are a lot of ways to save on auto insurance out there, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some solid techniques on how to quit paying high auto insurance rates.
When comparison shopping, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from lots of Ohio auto insurance companies. The simplest method to lower the rate you pay for insurance is to jump online and get quotes. It’s really quite simple and can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- The first (and easiest) way to find low rates is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form eliminates the need for repetitive form entry for every prospective company. Just one form will return quotes direct from many companies.
- A different way to shop for auto insurance online requires a trip to the website for each individual company and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, let’s say you want to get rates from Geico, Allstate and State Farm. To find out each rate you need to go to each individual site and type in your information over and over, which can take a lot of time. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Alliance, click here.
- The least efficient way to compare rates is driving to and from local insurance agencies. Comparing rate quotes online eliminates this option unless you prefer the personal advice that can only be provided by a licensed insurance agent. Some companies do allow you to get prices online but buy from a local insurance agent.
Whichever way you use, be certain you are entering the exact same coverage data with each company. If your comparisons have different values for each quote you can’t possibly make a fair comparison in Alliance. Just slight variations in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. Keep in mind that comparing more company’s prices will enable you to find the best rates. Not every company provides online price quotes, so you should also compare price estimates from the smaller companies as well.
Drivers can save with these money-saving discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you might find some hidden discounts to cut the cost considerably. A few discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested before being credited.
- E-sign Discounts</strong – A handful of companies provide a small discount for buying your policy over the internet.
- Low Miles Discount – Fewer annual miles can qualify you for lower premium rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Telematics Data – Drivers that enable driving data submission to look at when and where they use their vehicle by using a small device installed in their vehicle like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot could save a few bucks if they are good drivers.
- No Claim Discounts – Good drivers with no accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on when compared with drivers with a long claim history.
- Military Discounts – Having an actively deployed family member could be rewarded with lower prices.
Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Despite the fact that it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it’s just not the way it works.
To see a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Ohio, click this link.
Independent versus captive insurance agencies
Some consumers would rather buy from a licensed agent and doing that can be a smart decision One of the best bonuses of comparing auto insurance online is that you can find better rates and also buy local. Putting coverage with local agencies is important especially in Alliance.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, the quote information is emailed to companies in Alliance that can give you for your coverage. You don’t have to find an agent on your own as quotes are delivered to you. You can find lower rates and work with a local agent. In the event you want to get a price quote from a specific auto insurance provider, you can always find their quoting web page and fill out the quote form the provide.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-42.jpg" alt="Ohio car insurance quote” />
If you are searching for an insurance agent, you need to know there are two different types of agencies that you can select. Auto insurance agencies may be either independent or captive depending on the company they work for.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
Agents in the independent channel do not work for one specific company and that allows them to write policies with multiple insurance companies and find you the best rates. If they find a cheaper price, your policy is moved internally and you don’t have to do anything. When comparing auto insurance prices, we recommend you include price quotes from at a minimum one independent agency in order to have the best price comparison.
The following is a partial list of independent insurance agents in Alliance that may be able to give you free price quotes.
Hatherill Insurance – 1095 W State St – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 823-9500
Goris Billiter Agency – 1600 S Union Ave – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 823-1020
David L Kuntzman Agency – 1844 W State St # C – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 821-6411
Titan Insurance – 851 W State St – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 823-7107
Kuntzman Agency LTD – 1844 W State St # C – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 493-4411
Captive Agents
Captive insurance agents can only provide pricing for a single company like AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. They usually cannot shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captives are highly trained on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.
Below are captive agents in Alliance that are able to give price quote information.
State Farm Insurance – 364 E State St – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 821-8655
Allstate Insurance Co – 333 E State St – Alliance, OH 44601 – (330) 821-2709
To help find agents near you, you may want to visit this list of Alliance insurance agents.
Choosing the best auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Any agent should be willing to answer these questions.
- Are they in the agency full-time?
- Will a damage claim use OEM or aftermarket replacement parts?
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Do they prorate repair cost based on vehicle mileage?
- Does the company have a solid financial rating?
Everyone needs different auto insurance coverages
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions might point out if you could use an agent’s help.
- Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- What discounts do I qualify for?
- Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
- What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
- Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Am I covered when driving a rental car?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Get cheap rates by understanding these factors
When buying auto insurance it’s important to understand some of the elements that help calculate the rates you pay for auto insurance. When consumers understand what determines premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get lower rates.
- Guys are more aggressive – Statistics show females are less aggressive when driving. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Males and females tend to get into at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but guys cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Not only that, but men also get cited for more serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving.
- Save money with good credit – Having a good credit score is a large factor in determining your rates. If your credit score is low, you could pay less to insure your vehicle if you clean up your credit. People that have high credit ratings tend to be better risks to insure as compared to drivers with bad credit.
- Accidents will cost you – A bad driving record has a big impact on rates. Having a single speeding ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don’t get tickets receive lower rates compared to bad drivers. Drivers with severe violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to prove financial responsibility with their state’s licensing department in order to legally drive a vehicle.
- Mature drivers pay less – Older insureds are shown to be more cautious, cause fewer claims and accidents and get fewer tickets.Beginning drivers are proven to be inattentive behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
- Do you have enough liability insurance? – Liability insurance will protect you if you are responsible for personal injury or accident damage. It provides for a legal defense which can cost a lot. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
- Be proud to be claim-free – Insurance companies in Ohio provide most affordable rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can expect much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Never let your auto insurance lapse – Driving any period of time without insurance is against the law and as a result your rates will increase for letting your insurance lapse. Not only will you pay more, being ticketed for driving with no insurance may result in a fine, jail time, or a revoked license. You may then have to file a SR-22 with the Ohio department of motor vehicles.
- Save money by having multiple policies – Some companies apply lower prices to policyholders that buy multiple policies such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. If you currently are using one company, you may still want to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money.
In conclusion
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the lowest prices are with a smaller regional carrier. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
Cheap auto insurance is definitely available from both online companies and from local agencies, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies do not provide price quotes online and many times these smaller companies work with independent agents.
When shopping online for auto insurance, it’s a bad idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an insured dropped liability coverage limits only to find out that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at the best possible price, not the least amount of coverage.
Additional resources for Ohio consumers
Additional auto insurance information can be found on the website for the Ohio Department of Insurance located here. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, get help finding coverage, and read consumer alerts.
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