Do you get frustrated by the dozens of auto insurance providers that you can choose from? Many other drivers are as well. Minnesota vehicle owners have so many options that it can turn into a challenge to find the lowest price. Everyone knows Ham Lake is an excellent city in which to live, but the high premiums for auto insurance makes it difficult to stay on budget.
Finding low cost auto insurance rates doesn’t have to be difficult. You just have to spend a few minutes comparing price quotes online from several insurance companies. Comparing prices online can be done by using one of the methods below.
- The best way to get the best comparison quotes is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This form keeps you from doing separate quote forms for each price estimate. One form will return price quotes from many national carriers. Recommended for those who want to invest the least amount of time.
- Another way to find lower rates requires a visit to the website of each company and go through the quote process again. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want comparison quotes from Liberty Mutual, State Farm and Travelers. You would need to go to each individual site to enter the same coverage data repeatedly, and that explains why we recommend the first method.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Ham Lake, click here.
- If you have time to kill, the last method to compare price estimates is actually driving to all the different Ham Lake insurance agencies. Shopping for auto insurance online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you prefer the professional abilities that you can only get from talking to an agent. Although, it is possible price shop online but have a local agent actually write the policy.
However you get your quotes, do your best to enter exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits with every price quote. If you compare different data it’s not possible to find the best deal in Ham Lake.
Get cheaper Minnesota auto insurance rates with discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always list every discount very well, so the following list contains some of the best known in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to you.
- Professional Memberships – Belonging to specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could earn you a nice discount on your policy.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking time to complete a class that teaches defensive driver techniques is a good idea and can lower rates if your company offers it.
- Early Signing – A few companies give discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It can save you around 10%.
- Payment Discounts – By paying your entire bill at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
- Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles are less likely to be stolen and earn discounts up to 10% off your .
- Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt may be able to save a few bucks on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you aren’t that lucky.
Popular auto insurance companies and their possible discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm includes discounts for anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, passive restraint, student away at school, and driver’s education.
- Liberty Mutual policyholders can earn discounts including exclusive group savings, newly married, good student, new vehicle discount, hybrid vehicle, and safety features.
- American Family has discounts for mySafetyValet, bundled insurance, accident-free, TimeAway discount, and multi-vehicle.
- Progressive discounts include good student, online signing, homeowner, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, multi-policy, and online quote discount.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include homeowner, teen driver, switch companies, youthful driver, pay in full, good student, and bundle discounts.
- Auto-Owners Insurance may offer discounts for paperless, anti-lock brakes, student away at school, paid in full, company car, and mature driver.
- SAFECO may include discounts for homeowner, teen safety rewards, bundle discounts, anti-theft, safe driver, multi-car, and accident prevention training.
Before you buy a policy, ask every insurance company which discounts you qualify for. A few discounts might not apply in Ham Lake. For a list of providers that provide some of the discounts listed above in Minnesota, follow this link.
Local insurance agents
A lot of people would prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Insurance agents can make sure you are properly covered and help file insurance claims. An additional benefit of getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find better rates and still have a local agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your information is sent to agents in your area that give free quotes for your insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to find an agent because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. In the event you want to compare rates from a specific auto insurance provider, you just need to navigate to their website to submit a rate quote request.
Selecting an insurance company requires you to look at more than just a cheap quote. A good agent will have answers to these questions.
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
- Are they full-time agents?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
- Will you work with the agent or an assistant?
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- Are they involved in claim handling?
- How will an accident affect your rates?
Below is a list of insurers in Ham Lake willing to provide price quote information.
- ARK Insurance Svc – 1409 159th Ave NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304 – (763) 434-4374
- Allstate Insurance – 14735 Highway 65 NE # 200, Ham Lake, MN 55304 – (763) 434-2343
- Charles Thieme Agency – 1409 159th Ave NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304 – (763) 434-1125
- American Family Insurance – 15312 Central Ave NE, Ham Lake, MN 55304 – (763) 434-0215
To help you search for agents near you, visit this list of Ham Lake Minnesota insurance agencies.
When do I need an agent’s advice?
When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different.
For example, these questions might help in determining whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
- Do I need rental car coverage?
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
- Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Why you might pay higher rates in Ham Lake
Many things are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some factors are common sense such as your driving history, although some other factors are not as apparent like your vehicle usage or how financially stable you are. Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning the rating factors that help determine the level of your policy premiums. If you understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables informed choices that can help you get cheaper rates.
- Improve your credit history – Credit score can be a huge factor in determining premium rates. Drivers who have very good credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims than those with lower ratings. Therefore, if your credit score leaves room for improvement, you could potentially save money when insuring your vehicle if you clean up your credit.
- Lower rates for married couples – Your spouse can actually save you money on your auto insurance bill. Having a spouse usually means you are more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
- Are females or males drivers cheaper? – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean females are better at driving than males. Women and men have fender benders in similar percentages, but guys cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI.
- Never let your auto insurance expire – Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse will be a sure-fire way to increase your renewal premiums. Not only will you pay more, being ticketed for driving with no insurance may result in fines and jail time.
- Cheaper prices using alarm systems – Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can earn a premium discount. Systems that thwart theives like OnStar found on GM vehicles, advanced tracking like LoJack, and vehicle immobilization systems help track and prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
Keep this in mind
In this article, we presented many tips how you can reduce auto insurance premium rates online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of getting . Consumers may even find the lowest premium rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the lowest possible cost while still protecting your assets.
People change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, denial of a claim, policy cancellation or even delays in responding to claim requests. No matter why you want to switch, finding the right auto insurance provider is not as hard as you think.
Even more information can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Minnesota drivers can find disaster information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and discover disciplinary actions.
Also read more on this site for rates in Minnesota and this page on QuoteClickInsure.com.