Nobody that owns a car gets a kick out of paying for car insurance, especially knowing it costs too dang much. Lots of auto insurance companies contend for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies and uncover the absolute best price available.
Finding a lower price on insurance is pretty simple and can save money. The only requirement is to take the time to compare to find. It’s really simple and can be done by using one of the methods below.
- The recommended way to get quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions for each company. A single form gets you coverage quotes from multiple companies.
- A harder way to get comparison quotes requires a visit to each company website and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want to see prices from Farmers, Geico and Allstate. You would need to go to each individual site to enter the same coverage data repeatedly, which can take a lot of time. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Oak Harbor, click here.
- The least recommended method to compare price quotes is physically going to all the different Oak Harbor insurance agencies. Doing it all online makes this unnecessary unless you prefer the trained advice of a local Oak Harbor agent. Drivers can obtain prices from the web but buy the policy through an agent.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but do your best to enter apples-to-apples coverage data for each comparison quote. If you compare higher or lower deductibles it will be nearly impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Oak Harbor.
Washington car insurance discounts
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there may be some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be specially asked for before you get the savings.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – When you have multiple policies and insure them with the same company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
- Government Employee Discount – Having worked for a branch of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of 20% or more.
- No Charge for an Accident – Not a discount per se, but certain companies permit an accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Active Military Service – Being deployed with a military unit could qualify you for better rates.
- Data Collection Discounts – People who choose to allow driving data collection to look at when and where they use their vehicle by using a telematic data system such as State Farm’s In-Drive could save a few bucks if their driving habits are good.
Remember that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
A few of the larger companies and the discounts they provide are included below.
- Progressive offers discounts including online quote discount, good student, homeowner, multi-vehicle, online signing, continuous coverage, and multi-policy.
- Geico policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, military active duty, emergency military deployment, defensive driver, membership and employees, anti-lock brakes, and good student.
- State Farm discounts include passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, multiple autos, safe vehicle, accident-free, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- Esurance has savings for renters, anti-theft, good student, multi-policy, and online shopper.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for air bag, good student, bundle, vehicle fuel type, defensive driver, and driver training.
Before purchasing a policy, check with every prospective company which discounts they offer. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered in Oak Harbor. If you would like to choose from a list of insurers that have a full spectrum of discounts in Washington, click this link.
When should I talk to a local insurance agent?
Many people would rather get professional advice from a licensed agent and doing that can be a smart decision Insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and help in the event of a claim. The biggest benefit of comparing rate quotes online is the fact that you can find lower prices and still have a local agent. Putting coverage with small agencies is definitely important in Oak Harbor.
By using this simple form, your information is sent to companies in Oak Harbor who want to provide quotes for your car insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to search for any insurance agencies due to the fact that quote results will go to you directly. If you want to get a price quote from a specific insurance company, you just need to visit that company’s website and fill out their quote form.
If you are wanting to find a reliable insurance agency, there are two different agency structures that you can choose from. Agencies in Oak Harbor can be categorized as either independent or captive. Either one can sell affordable car insurance policies, but it’s worth learning the difference in how they write coverage since it can impact the type of agent you choose.
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be independent are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If they quote lower rates, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rate quotes, we recommend you get rate quotes from at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection.
Shown below is a partial list of independent agencies in Oak Harbor who can help you get pricing information.
Mc Gregor Insurance – 5075 Jones Rd – Oak Harbor, WA 98277 – (360) 675-9755
Geico Insurance – 3161 Goldie Rd # C – Oak Harbor, WA 98277 – (360) 679-6150
Garry Brown Agency – 31570 Sr 20 # 101 – Oak Harbor, WA 98277 – (360) 675-6663
Captive Insurance Agencies
These agents can only write with one company such as Farmers Insurance and State Farm. These agents are not able to compare rates from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captive insurance agents are well trained on sales techniques which helps offset the inability to provide other markets.
Listed below are captive insurance agents in Oak Harbor that can give you price quote information.
Allstate Insurance – 466 NE Midway Blvd – Oak Harbor, WA 98277 – (360) 675-5978
State Farm Insurance – 730 N Oak Harbor St # 105 – Oak Harbor, WA 98277 – (360) 675-4345
To view insurance agencies in your area, visit this list of Oak Harbor Washington insurance agents.
Deciding on an auto insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap quote. These are some questions you should get answers to.
- How often do they review coverages?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Oak Harbor?
- Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
- Do they specialize in personal lines auto insurance?
- How many years have they been established?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
Special considerations
When it comes to buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions could help you determine if you will benefit from professional help.
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Should I buy additional glass protection?
- I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
- How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
- What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.
Get cheap costs by understanding these factors
Part of the car insurance buying process is learning the rating factors that are used to determine car insurance rates. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this enables you to make decisions that can earn you lower rates. Lots of factors are used in the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but other factors are less apparent like where you live or how safe your car is.
- Save money by having high credit – An insured’s credit score will be a significant factor in determining premium rates. If your credit history could use some work, you could be paying less to insure your vehicle by repairing your credit. Insureds with excellent credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with bad credit.
- More traffic means higher claims – Choosing to live in a small town is a good thing when shopping for auto insurance. People who live in big cities tend to have more traffic problems and more severe claims. Fewer drivers on the road corresponds to lower accident rates in addition to lower liability claims
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Many companies give lower prices to buyers that buy multiple policies, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can amount to ten percent or more. If you currently are using one company, drivers will still want to get quotes from other companies to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.
- Which gender costs less? – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men cause accidents at a similar rate, but the men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 tend to get in the most accidents and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
- Stay claim-free and save – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you shouldn’t be surprised to get either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Insurance companies in Washington give the lowest premiums to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of claims that you cannot pay yourself.
- Low stress job equals lower rates – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Jobs such as lawyersairline pilots and stock brokers tend to pay higher rates than the rest of us due to stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. On the flip side, jobs such as professors, historians and homemakers pay the least.
- Prevent theft and save money – Selecting a car model with anti-theft technology or alarm system can earn a premium discount. Advanced theft deterrents such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system help track and prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
- Eliminate incidental coverages – Policies have extra add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying but may not be useful. Insurance for personal injury protection, towing coverage, and Farm Bureau memberships may be costing you every month. You may think they are a good idea when talking to your agent, but if they’re wasting money think about removing them and cutting costs.
Cheaper car insurance is a realistic goal
When getting , make sure you don’t buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice full coverage only to regret that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
We covered a lot of tips how to get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your auto insurance rates. You may even discover the lowest rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
Much more information about car insurance in Washington is available on the through this link. Washington consumers can view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about a company, read state legal mandates and laws, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
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