Finding a different company that has can be difficult if you are like most people and have never completed online car insurance quotes. Don’t let that stop you because online price shopping is actually quite simple.
It’s a good habit to shop coverage around at least once a year since rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the lowest premium rates a year ago you will most likely find a better price today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the quickest way to find better coverage at a better price.
If you have car insurance now, you will be able to save some money using these methods. The purpose of this post is to introduce you to how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. Although Illinois vehicle owners benefit from understanding how the larger insurance companies sell online because it can help you find the best coverage.
The are a couple different ways of comparing rates from car insurance companies in your area. The quickest method to compare insurance prices is to perform an online rate comparison. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- Probably the best way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This method eliminates the need for separate forms for every car insurance company. One form submission compares rates direct from many companies. This is by far the quickest method.
- A different way to compare rate quotes is to take the time to go to each individual company website and repeat the quote process again and again. For example, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Allstate, 21st Century and GMAC. To find out each rate you need to navigate to each company’s site and repeatedly type in your coverage information, which explains why we recommend starting with the first method. To view a list of companies in Glendale Heights, click here.
Compare rates however you want, just make absolute certain that you use identical coverage data for each quote you get. If you are comparing different data then you won’t be able to find the best deal in Glendale Heights. Even a minor difference in insurance coverages could throw off the whole comparison. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that obtaining a wide range of quotes will increase your chances of finding the best price. Not every company allows you to get online quotes, so it’s important to compare quotes from them as well.
Save a ton with discounts
Car insurance is not inexpensive, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that may help make it more affordable. A few discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but less common discounts must be manually applied in order for you to get them.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- 55 and Retired – Drivers over the age of 55 may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Drivers who insure multiple vehicles with the same company qualifies for this discount.
- One Accident Forgiven – Not necessarily a discount, but companies like Liberty Mutual and Geico permit an accident without raising rates with the catch being you have to be claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Good Students Pay Less – Excelling in school can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
- Claim-Free Discount – Drivers who don’t have accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on in comparison to frequent claim filers.
Discounts lower rates, but some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, you won’t be that lucky.
Car insurance companies that may offer quotes with these benefits are:
Before purchasing a policy, check with each company to give you their best rates. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be offered in your state. For a list of car insurance companies that offer discounts in Illinois, click here.
Why smart buyers pay less for insurance in Glendale Heights
Many factors are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, but other criteria are more transparent like where you live or your vehicle rating.
The list below includes some of the major factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set prices.
- Extra coverages can add up – Insurance policies have a lot of additional extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying but may not be useful. Add-on coverages like rental car reimbursement, towing, and additional equipment coverage are probably not needed. You may think they are a good idea initially, but your needs may have changed so remove them and pocket the money.
- Prices can change based on your address – Living in less populated areas has it’s advantages when trying to find low car insurance rates. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates. People who live in big cities regularly have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. The longer drive time can result in more accidents.
- Liability risk factors in – Liability coverage will provide protection if you are found to be at fault for an accident. It will provide for a legal defense to attempt to prove you were not liable. Liability insurance is pretty cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- The higher your credit rating the lower your premiums – Having a bad credit rating is a large factor in determining premium rates. If your credit rating is not that good, you could pay less to insure your vehicle by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower ratings.
- Bundle policies with the same company – Most car insurance companies afford lower prices to people who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can be ten or even fifteen percent. Even with this discount applied, drivers will still want to compare other insurance prices to help guarantee you have the best rates.
- Get a ticket, pay higher rates – Careful drivers have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single moving violation can increase rates forty percent or more. Drivers who have received careless violations such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find that they have to to complete a SR-22 with their state DMV in order to legally drive a vehicle.
- Youthful drivers cost more – Inexperience drivers are statistically shown to be inattentive and easily distracted when driving with friends so car insurance rates are higher. Older, more experienced drivers are viewed as being more responsible, are lower risk to insure and receive fewer citations.
- Is insurance coverage cheaper for females or males? – Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. It does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but males get into accidents with more damage. Not only are claims higher, but men receive more major tickets like driving under the influence (DUI). Males from age 16 to 21 tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
What is the best car insurance coverage?
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different.
Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether or not you could use an agent’s help.
- Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
- Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
- Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
- I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
- Is my vehicle covered for smoke damage?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form.
Additional information can be found on the Illinois Department of Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to find disaster information, find a variety of consumer forms, and view a list of available companies.
Additional helpful sites include QuoteClickInsure.com and this page for help finding agents in Glendale Heights, IL.
Car insurance savings summarized
Lower-priced car insurance is definitely available from both online companies and with local Glendale Heights insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional carriers prefer to sell through independent insurance agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to lower your car insurance premium rates. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Drivers may discover the best premium rates are with the least-expected company.
People leave their current company for any number of reasons including not issuing a premium refund, being labeled a high risk driver, delays in responding to claim requests and even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company can be easier than you think.