Sick and tired of not being able to afford to keep your car insured? You are no different than millions of other vehicle owners. Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, Geico and Progressive increase brand awareness with advertising and it is challenging if not impossible to see past the geckos and flying pigs and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
Consumers should take time to quote other rates once or twice a year since insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the best rates six months ago other companies may now be cheaper. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the quickest ways to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.
Car insurance companies offer money-saving discounts
Some companies don’t list all disounts very clearly, so the list below details a few of the more common and also the lesser-known credits available to lower your premiums when you .
- Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles can earn lower prices on the low mileage vehicles.
- Multi-line Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a discounted car insurance rate on car insurance if you buy some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
- Active Military Service – Being on active deployment in the military can result in better rates.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This isn’t a discount exactly, but some companies like Allstate and State Farm may permit one accident without the usual rate increase as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
- Organization Discounts – Being in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
A little disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will definitely lower the premium cost.
The best car insurance companies and the discounts they provide are shown below.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online quote discount, continuous coverage, online signing, homeowner, and multi-vehicle.
- The Hartford offers discounts for driver training, good student, air bag, bundle, and defensive driver.
- Mercury Insurance may offer discounts for age of vehicle, multi-policy, location of vehicle, anti-theft, and ease of repair.
- Geico may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, air bags, five-year accident-free, good student, anti-theft, and membership and employees.
- AAA includes discounts for multi-policy, education and occupation, multi-car, AAA membership discount, pay-in-full, good driver, and good student.
- State Farm may include discounts for passive restraint, anti-theft, safe vehicle, driver’s education, Drive Safe & Save, and good driver.
When getting , it’s a good idea to all the companies which credits you are entitled to. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policies in Sussex. To see a list of insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Wisconsin, follow this link.
What impacts Sussex insurance costs?
Many things are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but others are more obscure like your vehicle usage or your commute time. 
- Pleasure use or commuting – The more you drive every year the higher the price you pay to insure it. A lot of companies price each vehicle’s coverage partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your car insurance coverage correctly shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
- Lower stress equals lower prices – Careers such as lawyers, architects and accountants are shown to have higher premium rates attributed to high stress levels and long work hours. On the flip side, careers such as professors, historians and homemakers pay lower than average rates.
- You might get higher rates if you are single – Your spouse may cut your premiums when shopping for car insurance. Marriage may mean you are more financially stable and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
- Don’t skimp on liability coverage – A critical coverage on your policy, liability insurance is the protection in the event that you are ruled to be at fault for causing personal injury or damage in an accident. Liability provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Additional coverages that may be costing you – There are quite a few extra coverages that you can buy but may not be useful. Insurance for coverage for rental cars, death and dismemberment, and Farm Bureau memberships may be costing you every month. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but if you’ve never needed them in the past consider taking them off your policy.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have lower insurance rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and fewer injuries translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your car or truck has at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may be receiving a better rate.
When to contact an insurance agency
Many people still like to sit down with an agent. Licensed agents can make sure you are properly covered and help you file claims. An additional benefit of getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find lower rates but still work with a licensed agent. And providing support for small agencies is important especially in Sussex.
After filling out this short form, your insurance data is submitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your car insurance coverage. You won’t even need to find an agent on your own since rate quotes are delivered to you. If you want to compare prices for a specific company, don’t hesitate to find their quoting web page and submit a quote form there.
If you’re trying to find a local agent, it’s helpful to know the different types of agents from which to choose. Agencies in Sussex are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know the difference in how they write coverage because it may have an impact on buying decisions.
Independent Car Insurance Agencies or Brokers
Agents that choose to be independent can sell policies from many different companies so they can quote policies with multiple insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you want to switch companies, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent. If you are comparing rate quotes, you absolutely need to get quotes from several independent insurance agents in order to compare the most rates.
Shown below are Sussex independent insurance agents who may provide price quote information.
Countryside Insurance Svc – N64w24801 Main St # 105 – Sussex, WI 53089 – (262) 246-3444
Clover Insurance Svc – W258n8370 Linden Ln – Sussex, WI 53089 – (262) 246-8829
Captive Agencies
Agents in the captive channel can only place business with one company and examples are AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. Captives cannot give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. Captive insurance agents are well trained on sales techniques and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
Deciding on an insurance agency should include more criteria than just the premium amount. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Is every driver in your family covered?
- Do they offer accident forgiveness?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- How often do they review coverages?
- If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
To learn even more about car insurance
Much more information about car insurance in Wisconsin is located on the through this link. Visitors are able to read consumer alerts, learn about insurance regulations, discover disciplinary actions, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
Other informative sites include FindNewCarInsurance.com and this list of insurance agents in Sussex.
Don’t give up on affordable coverage
When shopping online for car insurance, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many instances, an accident victim reduced collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford and still be able to protect your assets.
Lower-priced car insurance is available from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and many times these regional insurance providers prefer to sell through local independent agents.