Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can dwindle your checking account and force you to make sacrifices. Comparison shopping is free and is an excellent way to help make ends meet. Many insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a insurer to get the lowest price
It’s important to check car insurance prices once or twice a year because rates are usually higher with each renewal. Even if you got the best price six months ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn how to use the internet to find great coverage at a great price.
These discounts can lower your rates
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Drivers Education – Require your teen driver to take driver’s ed class in school.
- Club Memberships – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount on car insurance.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Having multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less as compared to accident-prone drivers.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
- Resident Student – Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your premiums.
Make smart decisions and save
It’s important that you understand the different types of things that help determine your car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get lower car insurance prices.
- Your location affects your rates – Residing in less populated areas can be a good thing when insuring your vehicles. Fewer people means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. City drivers regularly have much more traffic to deal with and longer commute times. Higher commute times means more change of being in an accident.
- Cautious drivers pay less – Just one speeding ticket can increase rates twenty percent or more. Good drivers have lower premiums than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
- Always keep insurance in force – Allowing your coverage to lapse will be a quick way to bump up your car insurance costs. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.
- Bump up deductibles to save – Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, and burglary. The deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Some insurers will award you with lower prices to insureds who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you may still want to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still find a better deal by splitting coverages up.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can buy if you aren’t careful. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and membership fees may be costing you every month. They may seem like a good idea at first, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Protect yourself with liability coverage – The liability section of your policy is the protection if ever you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Will just any policy work for me?
When it comes to choosing coverage, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether or not you will benefit from professional help.
- Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
- Do I need higher deductibles?
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
- When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.
Are insurance agents obsolete?
Some consumers would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is OK! Agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you someone to call. The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find the best rates but also keep your business local. Supporting small agencies is important especially in Groves.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, your information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Groves who will battle for your coverage. There is no reason to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent to your email. How cool is that?!
Independent or Captive: It’s your choice
When looking for a good Groves insurance agent, there are a couple of types of agencies that you can select. Agencies in Groves are classified as either independent or captive. Both types can write coverage properly, but it’s worth mentioning how they differ since it may influence your agent selection.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally and that require little work on your part.
When shopping rates, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to have the most options to choose from.
Below are independent insurance agencies in Groves who can help you get pricing information.
Kenneth Denby Insurance – 4541 Main Ave – Groves, TX 77619 – (409) 962-5766
Bedair Insurance – 5200 39th St – Groves, TX 77619 – (409) 963-2883
Captive Agents
Captive insurance agents work for only one company and some examples include AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance and Allstate. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agencies are very knowledgeable in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage.
Below is a short list of captive agents in Groves who can help you get price quote information.
Allstate Insurance – 3889 Main Ave # 120 – Groves, TX 77619 – (409) 962-7500
For a complete listing of captive agents in Groves, simply jump to this page.
Selecting a car insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the price. These are valid questions to ask:
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
After receiving satisfactory answers to these questions and locked in a price quote, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.
Online resources for education
Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, view agent and company licensing information, and learn about specific coverages.
Summing up your car insurance search
Cheap car insurance can be purchased from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Groves agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.
In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies. These companies often have lower prices on specific markets compared to the large companies like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.