Nobody I know likes having to buy car insurance, in particular when their premiums are through the roof.
Because there are so many options, it can be challenging to choose the lowest cost insurer.
It is always a good idea to do rate comparisons before your policy renews because prices are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal six months ago you will most likely find a better rate today. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the fastest way to find better rates and still maintain coverage.
Compare Williston Car Insurance Costs
Most major insurance companies allow you to get price estimates on their websites. This process doesn’t take much effort as you just type in your personal and coverage information as requested by the quote form. When the form is submitted, the system gets reports for credit and driving violations and returns pricing information. This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the work required to visit multiple sites and fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it’s absolutely necessary to compare as many rates as possible in order to find the lowest car insurance rates.
The easy way to compare rates
The quickest way to locate the lowest prices makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from more than one company. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes quoting online much more efficient. Once the form is submitted, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the returned quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
If you want to find out what other companies charge, simply click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you type in your coverages identical to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will have comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.
Buyer beware of car insurance advertising tricks
Car insurance providers like Allstate, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads in print and on television. They all say the same thing that you’ll save big if you change to their company. How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.
Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has a short commute. A customer who fits that profile will get very good rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who are not a match for the requirements will have to pay higher rates and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, you should get a wide range of price quotes. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Auto insurance companies do not advertise every discount very clearly, so we researched some of the more common and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.
- Seat Belt Usage – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with a few car insurance companies.
- Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
- Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for reduced rates.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
- Homeowners Savings – Owning a house in Williston can save you money because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- Organization Discounts – Being a member of a professional or civic organization could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
- Resident Student – Any of your kids who are attending college and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky.
Do I just need basic coverages?
When it comes to choosing coverage, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine whether or not you will benefit from professional help.
- Do no-fault laws apply in North Dakota?
- What are the financial responsibility laws in North Dakota?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
- Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
- What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
- Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Even more information can be found at the North Dakota Insurance Department website. North Dakota drivers can view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, and find disaster information.
A tidy conclusion
When shopping online for car insurance, do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.
We just showed you a lot of information how to shop for car insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or Geico.