Being forced to pay for pricey auto insurance premiums can drain your savings and maybe even restrict other spending. Since people have many auto insurance companies to choose from, it can be challenging to locate the lowest price company.
You should make it a habit to quote other rates quite often because insurance prices go up and down regularly. Just because you found the best price a couple years back other companies may now be cheaper. You can find a lot of wrong information about auto insurance online but by reading this article, you’re going to learn the best ways to slash your auto insurance rates.
Locating cheaper auto insurance in Wakefield is simple if you know the tricks. If you are insured now or need a new policy, you can use these techniques to find better prices and still get good coverage. Nebraska vehicle owners only need an understanding of the best way to shop for auto insurance online.
Eight tips to get lower Wakefield auto insurance costs
Multiple criteria are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Most are fairly basic like an MVR report, but other criteria are less obvious like your continuous coverage and annual miles driven.
The itemized list below are some of the factors that factor into your rates.
- Your employer can affect premiums – Jobs like military generals, business owners and financial analysts are shown to have the highest rates attributed to stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. On the other hand, careers like farmers, students and performers have the lowest average rates.
- Lower coverage deductibles cost more – Protection for physical damage, also called comprehensive and collision insurance, is used to repair damage to your vehicle. Some coverage claims are a broken side mirror, vandalism, and having your car stolen. Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay before your auto insurance pays a claim. The more expense the insured is willing to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
- The type of car you drive affects your rates – The performance level of the car, truck or SUV you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in your premium level. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for lower cost passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Avoid tickets and save – Your driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Having a single moving violation can increase rates forty percent or more. Careful drivers have lower premiums as compared to those with violations. Drivers with dangerous violations like DUI or reckless driving may find that they have to to maintain a SR-22 with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
- Save money by having good credit – Having a bad credit rating can be an important factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. People with very high credit ratings tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with poor credit scores. If your credit history could use some work, you could potentially save money when insuring your vehicle by improving your rating.
- Do thieves like your car? – Selecting a car model with a theft deterrent system can save you some money. Advanced theft deterrents such as OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
- Continuous auto insurance coverage saves money – Driving any period of time without insurance can get you a ticket and companies may charge more for letting your coverage lapse. In addition to paying higher rates, getting caught without coverage might get you a revoked license or a big fine. You may then be required to file a SR-22 with the Nebraska DMV.
- Do you save by driving less? – The higher the mileage driven annually the more you’ll pay to insure it. Most insurance companies apply a rate partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos that have low annual miles get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. It’s a smart idea to ensure your auto insurance coverage is showing the correct usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Cheaper rates with discounts
Auto insurance is neither fun to buy or cheap, but you can get discounts to help offset the cost. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically prior to receiving the credit.
- ABS Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive so companies give up to a 10% discount.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Insureds without accidents could pay up to 40% less compared to accident prone drivers.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Low annual miles may enable drivers to earn cheaper premium rates.
- Good Student – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
- Full Payment Discount – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Memberships – Being in certain professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums on auto insurance.
- Online Discount – Many companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
- Multiple Vehicles – Insuring several vehicles on the same auto insurance policy can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts could see savings of up to 25% or more.
- Seat Belt Discounts – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to buckle their seat belts can save a little on medical payment and PIP coverage.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
Large auto insurance companies and their offered discounts are included below.
- State Farm has savings for Drive Safe & Save, student away at school, accident-free, anti-theft, defensive driving training, and good student.
- Progressive has discounts for homeowner, good student, multi-vehicle, online signing, multi-policy, continuous coverage, and online quote discount.
- Travelers includes discounts for early quote, continuous insurance, payment discounts, driver training, multi-car, new car, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
- American Family offers premium reductions for good student, air bags, defensive driver, TimeAway discount, accident-free, and early bird.
- Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for preferred payment discount, new vehicle discount, newly married, safety features, good student, exclusive group savings, and new graduate.
If you need lower rates, check with each company or agent to give you their best rates. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be available everywhere. If you would like to view insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Wakefield, click here to view.
Compare prices or from insurance agents
A lot of people would prefer to get advice from a local agent and doing so can bring peace of mind Insurance agents can answer important questions and will help you if you have claims. A good thing about getting online price quotes is that you can obtain the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. Supporting local agents is especially important in Wakefield.
After filling out this quick form, your insurance data is instantly submitted to companies in Wakefield who will gladly provide quotes to get your business. There is no need to find an agent since price quotes are sent directly to your email. If you have a need to compare prices from a particular provider, feel free to visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.
If you are wanting to purchase auto insurance from a reputable agency, it’s important to understand the different agency structures and how they work. Agents can be categorized as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both types of agents can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s a good idea to understand the differences since it can affect your agent selection.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies or Brokers
Agents of this type do not sell for just one brand and that enables them to quote your coverage with multiple insurance companies and find the cheapest rate. If they find a cheaper price, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency.
When searching for an agent, we highly recommend that you include several independent insurance agents to have the most options to choose from.
The following is a short list of independent agents in Wakefield that may be able to give you free auto insurance quotes.
Northeast Nebraska Insurance – 320 Main St – Wakefield, NE 68784 – (402) 287-3171
Tri-County Insurance – 302 Main St – Wakefield, NE 68784 – (402) 287-9973
Captive Insurance Agencies
Captive insurance agents can only write with one company like State Farm, AAA, and Liberty Mutual. Captives cannot place coverage with different providers so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They are well schooled on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Picking the best car insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap quote. Here are some questions you might want to ask.
- Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
Does auto insurance advertising bend the truth?
Consumers can’t escape the ads for cheaper auto insurance from companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the companies state the claim that you’ll save big if you change your auto insurance policy to them.
How does every auto insurance company cost less than your current company? This is the trick they use.
Companies have strict underwriting profiles for a prospective insured that earns them a profit. For example, this type of risk profile should be a mature driver, has had continuous coverage, and drives a lower-performance vehicle. Someone that matches those criteria gets the lowest prices and therefore will save some money.
Potential customers who fall outside this stringent profile will probably be forced to pay higher rates and the customer buying from someone else. If you pay attention, the ads say “customers that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save money. That is how insurance companies can lure you into getting a quote.
Because of the profiling, you absolutely need to quotes as often as possible. Because without a comparison, you cannot know the company that will give you the biggest savings.
Situations that may require an agent’s advice
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s needs are different so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Who is covered by my policy?
- Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
- Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
- How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Additional auto insurance information is available on the website for the Nebraska Department of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, discover disciplinary actions, view a list of available companies, and read industry bulletins.
In the end, you save
As you , don’t be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
Discount auto insurance can be sourced online as well as from insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. Some companies may not provide online quoting and usually these regional carriers prefer to sell through independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented many tips how you can reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies. They often have lower rates on specific markets than their larger competitors like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.