How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Car Insurance in Elkins Park

Expensive car insurance can empty your savings account, especially in this economy. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to lower your monthly bill. Drivers have multiple to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have a selection, it can be more challenging to compare rates.

It's important to compare prices on a regular basis since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the lowest price last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.

How much can you save with discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don't always advertise all their discounts very clearly, so we researched some of the more common and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

College Student - Kids in college who are attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
Accident Waiver - Certain companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don't have any claims for a set time period.
Good Student Discount - A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
Theft Prevention Discount - Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
55 and Retired - Mature drivers may qualify for better car insurance rates.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Pennsylvania, click here to view.

Which Car Insurance is Cheapest in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania?

Comparing car insurance rates can be a daunting task if you aren't aware of the easiest way. You can waste a lot of time discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Elkins Park, or you could use the web to achieve your goal.

Many insurance companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and each company then gives them pricing for coverage. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests for each company you want a rate for. To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

One minor caviat to comparing rates this way is you are unable to specify which carriers to receive prices from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to compare, we put together a list of companies who write car insurance in Pennsylvania. Click here for list of insurance companies in Pennsylvania.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you are comparing identical coverages and limits on every quote you get. If you use different deductibles then you won't be able to determine which rate is truly the best in Elkins Park.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

Mature drivers pay less - Young drivers in Pennsylvania are statistically proven to be more careless when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. If you've ever had to add a teen driver to your car insurance policy can be very expensive. More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
Are you male or female? - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Both sexes have accidents in similar numbers, but the males cause more damage. They also receive more costly citations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
Tickets mean higher rates - Careful drivers get better rates than bad drivers. Even one moving violation can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have serious citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Multiple policies with one company can save - Most insurers will give a discount to policyholders who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to compare rates to ensure the best deal.
Special features that cut premiums - Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping car theft.
Where do you drive? - The more miles you rack up on your car in a year's time the more you will pay for car insurance. Most insurance companies rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Double check that your car insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Consumers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings by Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings if you switch to their company.

How does each company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a desirable insured could be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential customers who don't meet these standards will have to pay a higher premium and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

A tidy conclusion

When trying to cut insurance costs, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price.

Cheap car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Elkins Park agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. A few companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

You just learned many tips how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the best price on car insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like .

For more Pennsylvania car insurance information

Even more information is located at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department website. Consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and read consumer alerts.