Tired of being strong-armed each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other North Carolina consumers.
Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, Farmers Insurance, Geico and Allstate promote their brand names with fancy advertisements and it is challenging if not impossible to ignore the flashy ads and do the work needed to find the best deal.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Buying car insurance in Gastonia is easy if you know what you’re doing. Nevertheless, North Carolina consumers do need to understand how insurance companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts that you may not know about. Most are applied when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for before they will apply.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
- 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Driver’s Ed – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Save with a New Car – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
- Clubs and Organizations – Participating in a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance.
- Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
It’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
To choose companies with the best auto insurance discounts in Gastonia, click here to view.
But I don’t know anything about car insurance
When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help you determine if you would benefit from professional advice.
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- Should I buy only the required North Carolina minimum liability coverage?
- Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
- Is North Carolina a no-fault state?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- How much liability coverage do I need in North Carolina?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.
Buying auto insurance from a local agent
Some people just want to get advice from a local agent and that is a personal choice. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates and still choose a local agent. Supporting local agencies is especially important in Gastonia.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), your information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in Gastonia who will battle for your insurance coverage. There is no need to drive around since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?! You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
Captive and independent Gastonia insurance agents
If you’re trying to find a reliable agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Gastonia agents are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When shopping rates, it’s recommended you include price quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to get the best comparison.
Below are independent insurance agencies in Gastonia who may be able to give you price quote information.
Wilson Insurance Svc – 5518 Little Mountain Rd – Gastonia, NC 28056 – (704) 854-3555
Erie Insurance Group – 1674 Lowell Bethesda Rd – Gastonia, NC 28056 – (704) 824-2053
Brenda P Byrd Agency – 1000 S New Hope Rd – Gastonia, NC 28054 – (704) 865-2944
Direct General Ins Agency – 1120 Union Rd # B – Gastonia, NC 28054 – (704) 868-2838
Randy Walker Agency – 2519 E Ozark Ave – Gastonia, NC 28054 – (704) 864-0270
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents write business for a single company and examples are Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. These agents are unable to shop your coverage around so they have no alternatives for high prices. They receive extensive training on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.
Listed below is a list of captive insurance agents in Gastonia who can help you get rate quotes.
State Farm Insurance – 3302 S New Hope Rd # 100d – Gastonia, NC 28056 – (704) 824-2985
Allstate Insurance Co – 2080 E Franklin Blvd – Gastonia, NC 28054 – (704) 865-6017
Farm Bureau Insurance – 1337 E Garrison Blvd – Gastonia, NC 28054 – (704) 867-5433
For a complete listing of auto insurance agents in Gastonia, view this link.
Selecting an auto insurance agent requires more thought than just the premium amount. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- How long has their agency been in business in Gastonia?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
Upon receiving acceptable answers to all your questions and a good coverage price, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that can provide auto insurance coverage.
Informative consumer insurance sites
Additional information is located on the website for the North Carolina Department of Insurance through this link. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, report car insurance fraud, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Do the work, save more money
In this article, we presented some good ideas how to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the lowest rates come from some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.