Insider Advice on Saving Money on Kenmare North Dakota Auto Insurance

Pretty sure you bought an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me when I say there are lots of people in the same boat. Because there are so many options, it is hard for the average consumer to find the most cost effective auto insurance company.

It’s important to take a look at other company’s rates yearly since insurance rates change quite often. Just because you had the best premium rates a few years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Don’t believe everything you read about auto insurance out there, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn a bunch of ideas how to find affordable auto insurance.

Double check you’re getting these money-saving discounts

Auto insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but there’s a good chance there are discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some discounts will apply at the time of purchase, but once in a while a discount must be asked about before being credited.

• Discount for Life Insurance – Select auto insurance companies reward you with a small discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
• Bundle and Save – If you can bundle your auto and homeowners insurance and insure them with the same company you may save as much as 10 to 15 percent.
• Memberships – Being a member of a qualifying organization could earn you a nice discount on your next renewal.
• Good Student – A discount for being a good student may save as much as 25% on a . This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
• Mature Driver Discount – Seniors may be able to get a slight reduction on a .
• Student in College – Any of your kids who are attending college and leave their car at home could get you a discount.
• Employee of Federal Government – Active or former government employment could provide a small rate reduction with select insurance companies.
• Driver Training Discounts – Completing a defensive driver course may get you a small discount if you qualify.
• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents could pay up to 40% less compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So even though it sounds like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

Large auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are included below.

• State Farm may offer discounts for student away at school, good driver, multiple policy, Drive Safe & Save, driver’s education, defensive driving training, and accident-free.
• Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include bundle discounts, business and professional, youthful driver, teen driver, switch companies, and good student.
• Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, multi-policy, and online quote discount.
• Geico includes discounts for membership and employees, emergency military deployment, air bags, driver training, and anti-theft.
• Auto-Owners Insurance offers premium reductions for safe driver, paperless, safe vehicle, multiple vehicles, anti-lock brakes, and student away at school.
• The Hartford may include discounts for driver training, bundle, air bag, defensive driver, anti-theft, and vehicle fuel type.
• Farm Bureau discounts include safe driver, good student, driver training, multi-vehicle, and youthful driver.
• USAA offers discounts including defensive driver, loyalty savings, family discount, driver training, and new vehicle.

When comparing rates, check with every prospective company which discounts can lower your rates. Some credits may not be available in every state. To view auto insurance companies that have a full spectrum of discounts in North Dakota, click this link.

Getting a cheaper price on insurance isn’t really that difficult. The only requirement is to spend a few minutes comparing to discover which company has . It’s super easy and can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

1. The most efficient way to find low rates is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This style of form prevents you from having to do a different quote to each individual auto insurance company. One simple form gets prices estimates from several companies.
2. Another way to find lower rates requires you to visit each company’s website and repeat the quote process. For instance, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Allstate, Farmers and American Family. You would need to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is quicker.

   For a list of links to insurance companies in Kenmare, click here.

However you get your quotes, be sure to compare the same quote data with each company. If you compare different values for each quote it’s not possible to make a fair comparison in Kenmare.

Learn how to lower your auto insurance rates

It’s important that you understand some of the elements that help determine your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively determines premiums, this allows you to make good choices that may result in big savings. Multiple criteria are taken into consideration when you get your auto insurance bill. Some of the criteria are obvious such as traffic violations, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as your credit history or your commute time.

The itemized list below are some of the things used by your company to calculate rates.

• Stressful job may mean higher prices – Occupations like judgesair traffic controllers and miners usually pay higher rates than the rest of us because of intense work-related stress and extremely grueling work hours. Conversely, occupations such as professors, historians and retirees have lower than average premiums.
• Credit rating impact auto insurance premiums – Having a bad credit score is a large factor in determining premium rates. If your credit rating leaves room for improvement, you could save money insuring your vehicle by improving your rating. People that have high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than those with poor credit scores.
• Do you save by driving less? – The more you drive your car each year the higher your rates will be. Many insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage partially by how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that sit idle most of the time receive lower rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your policy is showing the correct usage.
• Tickets will cost you – Drivers with clean records have lower premiums than bad drivers. Even a single speeding ticket can boost insurance rates substantially. Drivers who have received flagrant tickets like DUI or reckless driving may find that they have to to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to legally drive.
• Younger drivers pay higher rates – Youthful drivers in North Dakota have a tendency to be inattentive in a vehicle so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older people are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
• Guys pay higher rates – Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that women are better drivers. Both sexes cause fender benders in similar numbers, but males have costlier accidents. In addition to higher claims, males also receive more costly citations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Males from age 16 to 21 tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
• Insure car and home with the same company – Many auto insurance companies afford a discount to policyholders who consolidate policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount consumers should still compare other insurance prices to help ensure you have the lowest rates. Drivers may still save even more by buying from different companies
• Single drivers take more risk – Walking down the aisle may save some money on auto insurance. Having a significant other usually means you are more stable financially and insurance companies like that drivers who are married file infrequent claims.

Do I need special coverages?

When choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your situation will benefit from professional help.

• How much liability coverage do I need in North Dakota?
• Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
• What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
• Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
• Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
• Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
• Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance advertising gotchas

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that claim the lowest rates from the likes of Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make the same claim that drivers will save a bundle just by switching your coverage.

How does every auto insurance company give you a lower rate? It’s all in the wording.

Auto insurance companies quote the lowest rates for the driver that will generate a profit. For instance, a driver they prefer may need to be over the age of 45, owns a home, and insures a new vehicle. Any person who fits that profile will get a cheap rate quote and is almost guaranteed to save a lot if they switch.

Drivers who cannot meet these criteria will probably be forced to pay more expensive rates with the end result being business going elsewhere. If you listen closely, the ads state “people who switch” not “all people who quote” save that much when switching. This is how insurance companies can confidently make it sound like they have such great prices. This really illustrates why it’s extremely important to compare often. Because you cannot predict with any certainty which company will have the lowest premium rates for your situation.

Be persistent and save

When getting , you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

We covered a lot of information how to save on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more you , the better chance you’ll have of finding . Consumers could even find that the best rates are with an unexpected company. Regional companies may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Kenmare, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies only sell through local independent agents.

For more North Dakota auto insurance information

More detailed North Dakota auto insurance information is located at the North Dakota Insurance Department website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, discover disciplinary actions, and view agent and company licensing information.