Proven Ways to Save on Galena Auto Insurance

Have you had enough of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in Ohio. There is such a variety of to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have a selection, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates.

It's important to get comparison quotes once or twice a year since insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best deal last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting right now, forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because it's time to teach you the proper way to save on auto insurance.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don't necessarily list every available discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the best known and the harder-to-find ways to save on auto insurance. If you're not getting every credit available, you're paying more than you need to.

Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Drivers Education - Have your child take driver's ed class if offered at their school.
Safety Course Discount - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Senior Discount - Mature drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
Employee of Federal Government - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with certain companies.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won't be that lucky.

To see a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in Ohio, click this link.

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance in Galena

Most companies like Allstate and Progressive provide insurance quotes online. Getting online quotes doesn't take much effort as you simply enter the amount of coverage you want as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain your driving record and credit report and returns a price quote determined by many factors. Being able to quote online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to several different sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. But it's very important to do this if you want to find the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to find cheaper rates requires only one form to return rates from many companies. The form is fast, requires less work, and makes online quotes much more enjoyable. After sending your information, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the price quotes you receive. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and purchase the new policy. The whole process only takes a few minutes and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To quickly find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you input the limits and deductibles as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will have comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are some of the factors that factor into your rates.

Bundling policies can get discounts - Some auto insurance companies give discounts to people who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's in your best interest to compare rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Drivers may still find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
Car features impact rates - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles you can purchase if you aren't careful. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and membership fees may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
Men are more aggressive - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men are in accidents at about the same rate, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI.
No coverage gaps is important - Not having insurance can get your license suspended and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage will get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Ohio department of motor vehicles.
Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - Insurance companies in Ohio give lower rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Lower miles equals lower premium - The higher the mileage driven every year the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Make sure your auto insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle, because it can save money.

How can Allstate and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Ohio drivers can't get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Allstate and Progressive. All the ads make the same claim about savings if you change your policy.

How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

All companies can use profiling for the right customer that is profitable for them. An example of a preferred risk might be profiled as a mature driver, has no tickets, and has great credit. A propective insured who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when switching.

Consumers who are not a match for these standards will be charged higher rates which leads to business not being written. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the savings. That is why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

And the best car insurance company is...

As you prepare to switch companies, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The aim is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheaper auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Galena insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

More Ohio auto insurance information

Even more information is available at the Ohio Department of Insurance website. Ohio drivers can read consumer alerts, view a list of available companies, discover disciplinary actions, and learn about insurance regulations.