When trying to find cheaper insurance, are you baffled by the wide range of car insurance choices available to you? There are such a vast assortment of choices available that it is a challenge to find the best car insurance rates. Port Allen is an awesome place to live, but trying to pay high car insurance rates can make it difficult for lots of drivers to be able to buy decent coverage.
It’s smart to compare rates yearly because insurance prices change regularly. If you had the best rate at your last renewal you can probably find a better premium rate now. There are lots of tips to save on car insurance online but we’re going to give you some of the best techniques to buy car insurance cheaper.
When comparison shopping, there are several ways of comparing price quotes from different Port Allen insurance companies. One of the best ways to compare rates is simply to get online rate quotes. This can be accomplished in a couple minutes as outlined below.
Probably the best way to get quotes for comparison is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for every prospective company. Filling out one form gets coverage cost estimates from multiple low-cost companies. This is by far the quickest method.
A more difficult way to compare prices requires visiting each company’s website to request a price quote. For instance, let’s assume you need rates from State Farm, Safeco and Geico. You would be required to visit each site and repeatedly type in your coverage information, which is not fast way to get rate quotes.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Port Allen, click here.
The final way to comparison shop rate quotes to and from local Port Allen insurance agencies. Quoting and buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a complicated situation and need the extra assistance that only an agent can give. However, consumers can obtain prices from the web but have your policy serviced through an agent.
Whichever method you choose, ensure you’re using the same information for every company. If each company quotes different values for each quote it will be impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Port Allen. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages or limits may result in large price differences. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes provides better odds of finding the best offered rates. Some smaller insurers to not give price estimates online, so it’s necessary to compare price quotes from the smaller companies as well.
Save a ton with these car insurance discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always list every discount they offer very well, so we took the time to find some of the best known as well as some of the hidden credits available to bring down your rates.
- Good Student – Maintaining excellent grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts until age 25.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts when compared with insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Forcing all vehicle occupants to use a seat belt can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Discount for New Cars – Buying coverage on a new vehicle may earn a small discount since newer models have better safety ratings.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Port Allen Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner may trigger a policy discount on car insurance since owning and maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Not all insurance carriers offer life insurance, but some may give you a break if you buy a life policy as well.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Drivers without accidents could pay up to 40% less compared to accident prone drivers.
- Sign Early and Save – Some car insurance companies give discounts for switching to them before your current coverage expires. Ten percent is about the average savings.
You can save money using discounts, but many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy. Any qualifying discounts will cut the amount you have to pay.
Auto insurance companies that possibly offer these discounts possibly include:
When getting a coverage quote, ask each company or agent which discounts you qualify for. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply everywhere. To see car insurance companies who offer free car insurance quotes in Louisiana, click here to view.
Components of your auto insurance premiums
Many factors are considered when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as traffic violations, although others are more transparent such as your marital status or your financial responsibility. 
The list below includes a few of the “ingredients” utilized by car insurance companies to help set premiums.
- Single drivers take more risk – Being married may save some money when buying car insurance. Marriage usually means you are more mature than a single person and statistics prove married drivers tend to have fewer serious accidents.
- Avoid car insurance lapses – Driving with no insurance is a big no-no and you may have a hard time finding new coverage because you let your coverage have a gap. In addition to paying higher rates, being ticketed for driving with no insurance could result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license. You may then have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Louisiana DMV.
- Safer vehicles means cheaper rates – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Vehicles built for safety reduce occupant injuries and reduced instances of injuries means your insurance company pays less and cheaper rates on your policy. If your car earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website it may cost less to insure.
- No claims equals cheap prices – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance companies in Louisiana provide the best rates to people who are not frequent claim filers. Your car insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Job can influence car insurance rates – Careers such as military personnel, executives and accountants generally have the highest rates in part from intense work requirements and lots of time spent away from family. Other jobs such as professors, historians and retirees have lower than average premiums.
- Drive less and pay lower prices – Driving more miles every year the higher your rates will be. A lot of insurance companies charge rates based on their usage. Cars that do not get driven very much can get a lower rate as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. It’s a smart idea to ensure your policy correctly shows how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.
Car insurance agents near you
Many drivers prefer to have an agent’s advice and often times that is recommended An additional benefit of comparing car insurance online is you can get cheap car insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your business. You never need to do any legwork because quoted prices will be sent to you directly. You can most likely find cheaper rates AND an agent nearby. If you want to compare prices from one company in particular, just search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
Choosing a company is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions you should ask.
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Has the agent ever had any license suspensions?
- Will a damage claim use OEM or aftermarket replacement parts?
- How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
If you’re trying to find a reliable insurance agency, it’s important to understand the different agency structures and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents can either be independent or captive depending on the company they work for.
Captive Car Insurance Agencies
These agents can only provide one company’s prices and examples are Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, and AAA. These agents are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Captives are very knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them sell on service rather than price. Consumers often buy insurance from these agents mainly due to the prominent brand name rather than having the cheapest rates.
Below is a list of captive insurance agencies in Port Allen that are able to give price quotes.
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 4153 LA Highway 1 S – Port Allen, LA 70767 – (225) 749-4100
- State Farm Insurance – 656 Court St – Port Allen, LA 70767 – (225) 344-8444
- Allstate Insurance – 423 Court St – Port Allen, LA 70767 – (225) 344-2816
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents that elect to be independent do not have single company limitations so they can quote policies with many different companies and find you the best rates. If you want to switch companies, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to do anything.
When comparing rates, it’s recommended you compare quotes from several independent agencies to have the most options to choose from. They often place coverage with smaller companies which could offer lower prices.
Below is a short list of independent insurance agents in Port Allen that can give you price quotes.
- General Automobile Insurance – 1000 Court St # B – Port Allen, LA 70767 – (225) 267-4600
- Gassie Insurance Inc – 139 N Alexander Ave – Port Allen, LA 70767 – (225) 383-8765
To view additional insurance agents in Port Allen, visit this full listing of car insurance agents in Port Allen, LA.
After getting reasonable responses to your questions as well as quotes, chances are good that you have found an insurance agency that is a good match to adequately provide car insurance.
Even more information can be found at the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. Louisiana consumers can learn about insurance regulations, report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and find disaster information.
Buyer beware of car insurance advertising tricks
Car insurance providers like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. They all seem to state the claim about savings just by moving your car insurance policy to them. How is it plausible that every one can charge you less for auto insurance? This is how they do it.
Most companies have a preferred profile for the driver they prefer to insure. For example, a driver they prefer may need to be over the age of 50, has no claims, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. A driver who fits that profile receives the best premium rates and will most likely save if they switch.
Insureds who do not match the “perfect” profile will be charged higher premiums which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can save as much as they claim. That’s why companies can make claims like that. Because of the profiling, drivers must compare often. Because without a comparison, you cannot know which car insurance company will have better premium rates than you’re paying now.
Smart shoppers get results
You just learned a lot of tips how to get a better price on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from the smaller companies.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s a bad idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost while still protecting your assets.
Affordable car insurance is possible on the web and with local Port Allen insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not offer rates over the internet and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through independent agents.