Purchasing affordable League City car insurance on the web may be impossible for people who are new to buying insurance on the web. With a ridiculous number of choices, how can consumers effectively compare them all to find the cheapest rates?
Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that help determine car insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that could result in better car insurance rates.
The following are some of the items that factor into premiums.
- Marriage pays dividends – Having a spouse can actually save you money on your car insurance policy. Marriage translates into being more responsible and it’s statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.
- Is your vehicle built for speed? – The type of car you are insuring makes a substantial difference in your rates. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for economy passenger cars, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Where you live can impact rates – Being located in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Lower population translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Drivers who live in large Texas cities have much more traffic to deal with and much longer commute distances. More time commuting means higher likelihood of an accident.
- Do you need those extra coverages? – There are many add-on coverages you can purchase if you aren’t careful. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, better glass coverage and membership fees are some examples. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
- Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as judges, business owners and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates attributed to high stress and lots of time spent at work. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and performers have the lowest average rates.
- Don’t skimp on liability – Liability insurance is the protection if a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides for a legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
- Lower rates with optional equipment – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Companies don’t always publicize every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the more common and the more hidden car insurance savings.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying coverage for multiple cars or trucks on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- No Claims – Good drivers with no accidents pay much less when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Auto/Life Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Factory air bags can receive discounts of more than 20%.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in high school.
Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
To choose insurance companies who offer car insurance discounts in Texas, click here to view.
Can you really save that much by switching?
Car insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive consistently run ads on TV and radio. They all seem to have a common claim that you’ll save big if you change your coverage to them. How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.
Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver they prefer to insure. A good example of a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.
Potential customers who do not match the “perfect” profile must pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. This is how companies can advertise the way they do. This illustrates why it’s extremely important to get quotes from several different companies. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Texas drivers can find a variety of consumer forms, get help finding coverage, and find disaster information.
Other informative sites include this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of League City insurance agents.
In conclusion
In this article, we presented many tips how you can shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the smaller companies.
When shopping online for car insurance, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many cases where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price.
People leave their current company for any number of reasons including questionable increases in premium, denial of a claim, high prices and being labeled a high risk driver. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new car insurance company is less work than it seems.