Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Auburn Hills Auto Insurance

I can't think of anyone who enjoys paying for auto insurance, especially knowing they are paying too much.

Because you have many companies to choose from, it's nearly impossible to find the cheapest company.

This information will familiarize you with how car insurance quotes work. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to save some money using these methods. Although Michigan vehicle owners do need to know how companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are some of the factors used by your company to calculate premiums.

Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are a ton of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren't careful. Things like roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are some examples. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
A clean driving record saves money - Only having one speeding ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
Women pay lower rates - Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
Do you know you're credit rating? - A driver's credit history is a huge factor in determining your rates. So if your credit is not that good, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers who have lower credit scores.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

There are several ways to compare rate quotes from different Auburn Hills insurance companies. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for separate quotes for each company you want a rate for. Just one form gets you price quotes instantly.
A harder way to compare rate quotes requires visiting the website for every company you want to comare to complete their respective quote request forms. For examples sake, we'll assume you want to compare , and . To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, and that's why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Auburn Hills, click here.
The most time-consuming method to get comparison rates is driving around to and from local Auburn Hills insurance agencies. Shopping for auto insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you have a need for the trained guidance that only a license agent can provide. It is possible to find lower rates online and still use a local agent and we'll touch on that later.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to compare apples-to-apples quote information on every quote you get. If the quotes have mixed coverages it will be very difficult to determine which rate is truly the best in Auburn Hills. Slightly different coverages can result in a big premium difference. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates.

Take advantage of discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

Driver Safety - Successfully completing a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
Good Student - This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
Accident Forgiveness - Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven't had any claims for a set time period.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of 20% or more.
Claim Free - Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared with accident-prone drivers.
Organization Discounts - Affiliation with a professional or civic organization may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Fewer annual miles can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will help reduce your overall premium however.

To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Michigan, click here.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim about savings after switching your coverage to them. But how can every company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get the preferred rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don't qualify for this ideal profile must pay a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

This illustrates why you need to compare many company's rates. It's not possible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

How to know if you need help

When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone's situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent's advice.

Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Michigan?
Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
Are rental cars covered under my policy?

If you can't answer these questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Additional information is available on the website for the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation. Click here for link. Michigan drivers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, learn about insurance regulations, and find out industry alerts.

Other informative sites include this resource for Michigan auto insurance prices and this link which helps you find a Auburn Hills agent.

Do the work, save more money

The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced on the web as well as from independent agents in Auburn Hills, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some auto insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like .