Tightwads Guide for Saving on Codorus Auto Insurance

I can't think of anyone who looks forward to paying for auto insurance, in particular when the cost is way too high. Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive promote their brand names with fancy advertisements and it can be hard to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It's important to price shop coverage periodically because insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price last year you will most likely find a better rate today. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you're about to find out the fastest and easiest way to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

Save big with these discounts

Car insurance companies don't always advertise all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings. If you aren't receiving every discount you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

Accident Forgiveness - A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up as long as you don't have any claims for a set time period.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially as compared to drivers who are more careless.
Drivers Ed for Students - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in high school.
Drive Less and Save - Keeping the miles down can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Everyone's situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation might need an agent's assistance.

Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?

If you don't know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It's fast, doesn't cost anything and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Pennsylvania consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance from companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you move your policy.

How can each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives newer vehicles. A driver who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Consumers who fall outside the requirements will have to pay higher prices which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. Because of the profiling, you should compare as many rates as you can. It is impossible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Additional Pennsylvania consumer information

Even more information can be found at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department website. Pennsylvania consumers can learn about insurance regulations, find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, and view a list of available companies.

And the best car insurance company is...

Cheap auto insurance is definitely available online in addition to many Codorus insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

In this article, we presented a lot of information how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .