Pricey car insurance can eat up your savings account and make it hard to pay other bills. Performing a rate comparison is recommended to lower your bills every month.
Because you have many online and local companies to choose from, it can be challenging to pick the lowest price company.
These discounts can lower your car insurance quotes
Auto insurance companies don’t always publicize their entire list of discounts very clearly, so the list below details a few of the more well known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using when you .
- Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- First Accident Forgiveness – Not a discount per se, but some companies like State Farm, Progressive and Geico will allow you to have one accident before they charge you more for coverage so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple vehicles with the same car insurance company can get a discount for every vehicle.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit could trigger a small discount.
- Student in College – who live away from home at college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you can bundle your homeowners and auto insurance with one company you could earn a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
To view car insurance companies that offer some of these discounts in Iowa, follow this link.
Performing a rate comparison is a ton of work if you don’t utilize the most efficient way to do it. You can waste hours talking about coverages with insurance companies in Storm Lake, or you could use the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Most of the best insurance companies belong to an insurance system that enables customers to send in one quote, and each company can provide price quotes determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests for each company.
To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now click here to open in new window.
One minor caviat to doing it this way is that you can’t choose which providers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose specific providers to compare, we have a listing of low cost car insurance companies in Iowa. Click here for list of insurance companies in Iowa.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but make sure you are using apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for each comparison quote. If you have different deductibles you will not be able to make a fair comparison in Storm Lake. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits can make a big difference in price. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing a wide range of rates will enable you to find a lower rate than you’re paying now. Some regional insurers cannot provide quotes online, so you also need to get price estimates from them as well.
You have control over your car insurance rates
It’s important that you understand the different types of things that go into determining your policy premiums. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with better car insurance rates. Many factors are part of the calculation when quoting car insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, although some other factors are more obscure like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.
Shown below are some of the most common factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set your prices.
- Discounts for married drivers – Walking down the aisle actually saves money when buying car insurance. Marriage means you’re more responsible it has been statistically shown that married drivers tend to file fewer claims.
- that cut prices – Buying a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Advanced theft deterrents such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder auto theft and help lower rates.
- Gender and auto insurance costs – Over the last 30 years, statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. This data doesn’t prove that men are worse drivers. Men and women get in fender benders in similar numbers, but the men get into accidents with more damage. They also receive more costly citations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving.
- Always keep your coverage in force – Driving your car without having proper coverage is not a good idea and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage cancel without a new policy in place. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage will get you fines and jail time. You may need to file a SR-22 with the Iowa department of motor vehicles.
- High coverage deductibles reduce prices – The deductibles define how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, insures against damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are a windshield broken by a bird, hail damage, and damage caused by road hazards. The more money you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
Different people need different car insurance coverages
When buying the best car insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions might point out whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- What is the minimum liability in Iowa?
- Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Iowa?
- Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Storm Lake?
- Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
- Am I getting all the discounts available?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.
Better coverage you can count on
Lower-priced car insurance can be bought both online and from local insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both to get a complete price analysis. Some companies do not provide online rate quotes and these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
When shopping online for car insurance, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, drivers have reduced collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, but do not skimp to save money.
Additional detailed information can be found at the Iowa Insurance Division website. Iowa drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, file complaints about a company, and get help finding coverage.
Other useful links include QuoteClickInsure.com and this page for help finding agents in Storm Lake, IA.