Do you get exhausted from sacrificing to pay your auto insurance bill each month? You have the same problem as millions of other consumers. Insurance companies such as Geico, Progressive and Allstate persitently shower you with advertising and it is challenging if not impossible to avoid their marketing magic and find the best price available.
Consumers need to price shop coverage quite often because rates trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the best deal six months ago there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the only way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
When comparison shopping, there are several ways of comparing rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. The recommended way to compare insurance prices is simply to get online rate quotes. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in a couple minutes as outlined below.
- The easiest and least time consuming way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison click here to open form in new window. This form eliminates the need for separate quote forms for every auto insurance company. A single form gets you price quotes from several companies.
- Another way to find more affordable insurance requires visiting the website for every company you want to comare and go through the quote process again. For examples sake, let’s say you want to compare rates from Geico, Progressive and Travelers. You would have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, and that explains why we recommend the first method. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Grimes, click here.
- The last way to find cheaper rates is to drive around to each insurance agency near you. Doing it all online has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the trained guidance that you can only get from talking to an agent. However, consumers can get prices online but purchase the actual policy in an agency.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you are comparing the exact same deductibles and coverage limits on every price quote you get. If you enter different data you will not be able to determine the lowest rate in Grimes. Just slight variations in insurance coverages or limits can result in a big premium difference. Just remember that comparing more rates from different companies helps locate the best rates.
Auto insurance companies offer many discounts
Some providers don’t always advertise all disounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details some of the more common and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using when you .
- Safe Driver Discount – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Drivers who insure multiple cars with one company can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Driver Safety – Successfully completing a course teaching driver safety skills may get you a small discount and make you a better driver.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get reduced rates.
- Theft Deterent System – Cars equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and can earn a small discount on your policy.
- Life Insurance – Some companies give a lower rate if you buy some life insurance too.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Driving less can qualify you for cheaper rates.
- Driver’s Ed – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers complete a driver education course as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
- Organization Discounts – Belonging to specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Insureds with no claims or accidents have much lower rates compared to frequent claim filers.
It’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
A list of auto insurance companies and a selection of discounts can be found below.
- State Farm includes discounts for multiple autos, good student, multiple policy, driver’s education, passive restraint, good driver, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- Progressive discounts include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online signing, good student, and homeowner.
- Travelers offers discounts including save driver, continuous insurance, driver training, multi-policy, student away at school, and payment discounts.
- American Family has discounts for multi-vehicle, bundled insurance, defensive driver, Steer into Savings, TimeAway discount, and accident-free.
- Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for newly married, preferred payment discount, new vehicle discount, hybrid vehicle, and exclusive group savings.
If you want , ask each company or agent to apply every possible discount. Some credits might not be offered on policies everywhere.
Four things that impact your rates
Lots of factors are taken into consideration when premium rates are determined. Some factors are common sense like your driving record, but other factors are more obscure like your continuous coverage or your financial responsibility. 
- Stress out and pay more – Jobs like military generalspolice officers and emergency personnel have the highest rates due to intense work situations and incredibly demanding work hours. Conversely, occupations like actors, historians and the unemployed receive lower rates.
- Car insurance liability limits – Liability insurance kicks in in the event that you are found to be at fault for an accident. Your liability coverage provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
- Poor credit rating equals high prices – An insured’s credit score is a big factor in determining what you pay. So if your credit rating is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your vehicle by spending a little time repairing your credit. Insureds that have very good credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than those with lower credit ratings.
- Are females or males drivers cheaper? – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes have at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically receive more major tickets like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and therefore pay the highest rates.
Compare prices or from auto insurance agents
Certain consumers would prefer to talk to an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is the fact that drivers can get cheap auto insurance quotes and still choose a local agent. Buying from and supporting neighborhood insurance agencies is important particularly in Grimes.
For easy comparison, once you complete this short form, your coverage information is submitted to local insurance agents in Grimes who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to find an agent on your own due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. You can most likely find cheaper rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you need to get a rate quote from a specific insurance company, don’t hesitate to navigate to their website to submit a rate quote request.
To help you find an insurance agency in your neighborhood, click for a full listing of insurance agents in Grimes.
Choosing the best provider is decision based upon more than just a cheap price quote. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Are they full-time agents?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
- How are they compensated?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
Once you have positive feedback to any questions you may have as well as a price you’re happy with, most likely you have located an insurer that will provide auto insurance coverage.
Situations that may require an agent’s advice
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions might help in determining whether your personal situation might need professional guidance.
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
- When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
- Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
- Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
- Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
- Should I buy more coverage than the required Iowa minimum liability coverage?
- Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
- If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Additional auto insurance information is available on the Iowa Insurance Division website found here. Visitors are able to find disaster information, read industry bulletins, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Be skeptical of auto insurance ads
Well-known auto insurance companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive consistently run television, radio, and online ads. All the companies convey the message that you can save if you just switch your auto insurance policy to them. That’s great but how can every company charge lower premium rates? Here is the trick they use.
Insurance providers quote their best rates for the type of driver that will most likely be profitable. An example of a desirable insured may be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. Anyone who matches those parameters will get low premium rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.
Consumers who do not fit the ideal profile will be charged a more expensive rate which translates to business going elsewhere. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can get the lowest rates when switching. That’s why insurance companies can make those claims.
This illustrates why you need to do a rate comparison at every renewal. You cannot predict with any certainty which company will be your best fit.
Better coverage you can count on
We just presented some good ideas how you can reduce auto insurance rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the lowest rates come from the smaller companies. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.
Low-cost auto insurance can be bought on the web and with local Grimes 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 offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through independent insurance agencies.