Nobody looks forward to buying car insurance, in particular when the cost is way too high.
Having so many different company options, it can be impossible to choose the lowest price company.
Consumers need to compare rates periodically due to the fact that insurance rates go up and down regularly. Just because you had the best deal a year ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re going to learn how to quote online to find lower rates on car insurance.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always list every available discount very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the more hidden car insurance savings.
- Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Driver’s Ed – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
- Paperless Signup – Certain companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing digitally online.
- Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
- Bundle and Save – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
To see a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in Lake Charles, follow this link.
Lake Charles Car Insurance Comparisons
There are several ways you can shop for car insurance but one way is less time-consuming than others. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with local insurance agents in Lake Charles, or you could save time and use online quoting to maximize your effort.
Many popular insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit one quote, and every company provides a quote based on that data. This eliminates the need for quote forms to every company. To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.
One minor caviat to getting quotes like this is that consumers can’t choose which providers to get quotes from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies to compare rates, we have a page of car insurance companies in Louisiana. View list of Louisiana insurance companies.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just double check that you are using exactly the same coverage limits on every quote. If you enter different limits and deductibles on each one then you won’t be able to truly determine the lowest rate in Lake Charles. Slightly different limits can make a big difference in price. And when quoting car insurance, remember that having more price comparisons provides better odds of finding the best offered rates.
What determines how much you pay?
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower car insurance prices.
Shown below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into premiums.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are many additional coverages that can waste your money when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, accident forgiveness and membership fees are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment at first, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
- Increase deductibles and save – Your deductibles define the amount you are required to spend in the event of a claim. Physical damage insurance, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims would be running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, or theft. The more you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Many companies provide better rates to policyholders who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even though this discount sounds good, you may still want to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
- Is your vehicle built for speed? – The performance of the car you own makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. The cheapest insurance rates tend to be for lower performance four cylinder passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Don’t let your coverage lapse – Letting your insurance expire is a fast way to bump up your car insurance costs. And not only will insurance be more expensive, getting caught without coverage will get you a license revocation or jail time.You may need to file a SR-22 with the Louisiana department of motor vehicles.
- Liability insurance protects assets – The liability section of your policy will protect you if ever you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Where do you drive? – The more you drive in a year the higher your rate. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your car insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
How can State Farm, Allstate and Geico save drivers who switch?
Car insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Geico regularly use ads on TV and radio. They all seem to make the same claim of big savings if you move your policy. How does each company say the same thing?
Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be between 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.
Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile must pay higher premiums which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. Because you never know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
A tidy conclusion
Affordable car insurance can be sourced online and also from your neighborhood Lake Charles agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
When you buy insurance online, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price.
We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.
For more reading
More tips and info about car insurance is located at the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. Consumers can get help finding coverage, file complaints about a company, and find out which companies have the most complaints.