I really doubt anyone loves paying for car insurance, especially when they know the price is too high. Big-name insurance companies like Geico, Progressive and Allstate increase brand awareness with catchy ads and it is difficult to ignore the flashy ads and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
It’s a good idea to take a look at other company’s rates on a regular basis because car insurance prices go up and down regularly. Even if you think you had the best price at your last renewal you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the proper way to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these techniques. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Griffith is quite easy. Although Indiana drivers must know the way companies market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.
Smart buyers save more
When buying car insurance it’s important to understand some of the things that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. When you understand what controls the rates you pay, this enables you to make decisions that can help you get cheaper rates.
Shown below are a partial list of the pieces utilized by car insurance companies to help set prices.
- Prices and employer – Jobs such as doctorsairline pilots and accountants generally pay higher premiums than the average policyholder attributed to intense work requirements and long work hours. Conversely, occupations such as farmers, historians and retirees receive lower rates.
- Prevent your car from being stolen – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
- Save money by raising comp and collision deductibles – Protection for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, insures against damage to your car. Examples of some claims that would be covered are a dented fender, hail damage, and burglary. Your deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. The more of the claim you’re willing to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
- Extra policy coverages you don’t need – There are quite a few extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your car insurance policy. Coverages for coverage for rental cars, towing, and term life insurance are examples of these. You may think they are a good idea when buying your policy, but if you’ve never needed them in the past get rid of them and save.
- Gender as a rate factor – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown that females tend to be a little less risky than males. It does not mean males are worse at driving than females. Both genders are responsible for fender benders in similar percentages, but men have accidents that have higher claims. Men also receive more costly citations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Young males have the highest risk to insure and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- How many miles do you drive? – Driving more miles in a year’s time the more you will pay for car insurance. Many insurance companies charge rates partially by how you use the vehicle. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your car insurance policy is rated on the correct driver usage.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Safer cars cost less to insure. Highly rated vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means less claims paid and lower rates for you. If your vehicle is rated at a minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may pay a lower rate.
- Car and home together may be cheaper – The majority of insurance companies give better rates to people who consolidate policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even if you’re getting this discount consumers should still comparison shop to ensure the best deal.
Most of the larger companies provide insurance quotes on their websites. Doing online price comparisons is easy for anyone as all you need to do is type in the amount of coverage you want into the quote form. When complete, the quote system orders information on your driving record and credit history and returns a price based on these and other factors. Being able to quote online makes it easy to compare insurance prices but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s also necessary to do this in order to find the lowest possible prices on car insurance.
The smarter way to get multiple rate quotes uses one form that analyzes rates from more than one company. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes online price comparison much more efficient. Once the form is submitted, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the returned quotes.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and can result in significant savings.
To compare pricing, simply click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you type in coverages and limits identical to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you are getting a rate comparison based on identical coverages.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-114.jpg" alt="Indiana insurance quotes” />
More discounts mean lower premiums
Companies don’t always publicize every possible discount in an easy-to-find place, so we break down a few of the more well known as well as the least known discounts that you may qualify for.
- Early Renewal Discounts – Some car insurance companies provide a discount for buying a new policy prior to the expiration date on your current policy. This can save 10% or more.
- Telematics Data – Policyholders that allow data collection to scrutinize vehicle usage by using a small device installed in their vehicle like Drivewise from Allstate or In-Drive from State Farm may get a rate reduction as long as the data is positive.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for newer models.
- Griffith Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in Griffith may trigger a policy discount on car insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts may qualify for discounts of 20 to 30 percent.
- ABS and Traction Control Discounts – Cars and trucks equipped with ABS or steering control have fewer accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- College Student – who live away from home to go to college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Multi-car Discount – Drivers who insure several vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
- Discount for Good Grades – Being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
One thing to note about discounts is that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. If you do the math and it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business. Any amount of discount should definitely cut the cost of coverage.
A few popular companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm may offer discounts for accident-free, multiple autos, good student, multiple policy, anti-theft, good driver, and defensive driving training.
- Esurance offers discounts including online quote, defensive driver, multi-car, emergency road assistance, and good driver.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, good student, online signing, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual has discounts for teen driver discount, safety features, new move discount, preferred payment discount, new vehicle discount, and newly married.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has savings for mature driver, safe driver, multiple vehicles, group or association, safe vehicle, and multi-policy.
- Geico discounts include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, anti-lock brakes, and defensive driver.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each company or agent how you can save money. Discounts may not apply to policyholders in your area. To view companies offering car insurance discounts in Indiana, click here.
Neighborhood Griffith auto insurance agents
Certain consumers just prefer to talk to a local agent and that is not a bad decision A good thing about comparing car insurance online is the fact that drivers can get better rates and also buy local. And supporting local agents is especially important in Griffith.
After filling out this quick form, the quote information is sent to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your car insurance coverage. There is no reason to leave your computer since rate quotes are delivered directly to your email. You can find the lowest rates and work with a local agent. If you wish to get a rate quote from a specific insurance company, feel free to find their quoting web page and complete a quote there.
If you prefer to view a list of licensed insurance professionals in your area, you may want to see this complete selection of Griffith insurance agents.
Picking an provider should include more criteria than just the premium amount. The following questions are important to ask.
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in Griffith?
- Does the agency have a current Errors and Omissions policy?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- Do they get paid more for recommending certain coverages?
- How many years of experience in personal auto insurance do they have?
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
Insurance agents can help
When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions can help discover if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.
- Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
- Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Indiana?
- Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Griffith?
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Additional information can be read on the Indiana Department of Insurance website found here. Indiana drivers can read state legal mandates and laws, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and find out which companies have the most complaints.
Affordable car insurance is out there
In this article, we covered many ideas to reduce car insurance premium rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with the smaller companies. They may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and Geico.
Some insurance providers do not offer internet price quotes and these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through independent agencies. Cheaper car insurance can be purchased both online and also from your neighborhood Griffith agents, and you should compare rates from both so you have a total pricing picture.