Are you intimidated by the dozens of auto insurance sources that you can choose from? Lot’s of other drivers are too. Indiana people have so many choices that it can turn into a chore to find the perfect company for you. If you’ve ever been there, you know that Michigan City is a good city to live in, but trying to pay high auto insurance rates can make it difficult for lots of drivers to meet other financial obligations.
Save a ton by taking advantage of discounts
Some insurers don’t always list the complete list of policy discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down both the well known and the more hidden discounts that may be available.
- Good Grades Discount – Maintaining excellent grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. Most companies allow this discount well after school through age 25.
- 55 and Retired – Seniors may be able to get better auto insurance rates.
- Membership in Organizations – Participating in a professional or civic organization could trigger savings on your next auto insurance statement.
- Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for signing up over the internet.
- Student in College – Older children who live away from home to go to college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Passive Restraints – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts as much as 30%.
- Switch and Save Discount – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current expiration date. You could save around 10% when you .
As is typical with insurance, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any amount of discount will lower your policy premium.
A few popular companies and their possible discounts are shown below.
- Progressive includes discounts for multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, homeowner, and online quote discount.
- Geico may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, good student, federal employee, air bags, anti-theft, membership and employees, and driver training.
- State Farm discounts include defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, good driver, student away at school, multiple autos, and good student.
- Esurance offers discounts including paid-in-full, emergency road assistance, homeowner, multi-car, safety device, online shopper, and defensive driver.
- The Hartford has discounts for good student, vehicle fuel type, air bag, defensive driver, anti-theft, bundle, and driver training.
Check with all companies you are considering what discounts are available to you. Savings may not be available in your state.
Comparing auto insurance rates can be a daunting task if you don’t understand the most efficient way. You could spend the better part of a day talking to local insurance agents in Michigan City, or you can utilize online quotes to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Many popular insurance companies belong to a marketplace that enables customers to enter their policy data once, and at least one company returns a competitive quote determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company.
To get comparison pricing now click here to open in new window.
The only downside to pricing coverage this way is that you can’t choose the providers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of the cheapest auto insurance companies in Indiana. Click here for list of insurance companies in Indiana.
Take whichever approach you prefer, but be sure to compare identical coverages for each quote you get. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles it will be impossible to make an equal comparison in Michigan City. Quoting even small variations in limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. It’s important to know that comparing a large number of companies helps increase your odds of locating the best rates.
Components of your insurance premiums
A large part of saving on auto insurance is knowing some of the factors that aid in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you understand what determines premiums, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with cheaper rates.
- Use but don’t abuse your insurance – Auto insurance companies in Indiana generally give the lowest premiums to policyholders that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
- A lpolicy lapse is a bad thing – Driving your car without having proper coverage is illegal and any future policy may cost more because you let your coverage lapse. Not only will you pay higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance might get you a license revocation or jail time.
- Rural vs Urban Areas – Choosing to live in areas with lower population has it’s advantages when insuring your vehicles. Urban drivers have to deal with much more traffic and much longer commute distances. Less people translates into fewer accident claims as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
- Men tend to take more risk – The statistics show that females tend to be a little less risky than males. That doesn’t necessarily mean that females are better at driving than males. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but the men tend to have higher claims. Not only are claims higher, but men get ticketed for serious violations like DUI and reckless driving.
- Discounts for alarms and GPS tracking – Driving a car that has a built-in theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent your car from being stolen.
- Higher deductibles are cheaper – The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay if the claim is covered. Coverage for physical damage, also called comprehensive and collision insurance, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a stationary object, vandalism, or theft of your vehicle. The more damage repair cost you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the better rate you will receive.
How much auto insurance do I need?
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
- Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
- What are Indiana no-fault laws?
- Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
- Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
- Should I buy more coverage than the required Indiana minimum liability coverage?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form.
Don’t give up on cheaper premiums
When getting , never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. The aim is to buy enough coverage at the best price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
We just showed you a lot of ways to get a better price on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a lesser-known regional company.
The cheapest auto insurance is definitely available online as well as from independent agents in Michigan City, so get from both of them to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies only sell coverage through local independent agencies.
Indiana insurance information
Additional auto insurance information is located on the website for the Indiana Department of Insurance located here. Consumers can download brochures, find a variety of consumer forms, read consumer alerts, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.