How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Auto Insurance in Lakeville

Are you sick and tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are no different than many other Ohio consumers. Numerous battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it's not easy to compare every to get the lowest rate

It's important to shop coverage around before your policy renews since insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best price a few years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because I'm going to let you in on the secrets to the tricks you need to know to find great coverage at a great price.

If you have a current auto insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Lakeville is not that difficult. Ohio consumers only need to know the most efficient way to shop for auto insurance over the internet.

Tips to Get Lower Lakeville Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that help determine auto insurance rates. Understanding what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

  • Bump up deductibles to save - Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are required to spend before a claim is paid by your company. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Claim-free discounts can add up - Car insurance companies in Ohio award better rates to insureds who do not file claims often. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • More miles equals more premium - Driving more miles every year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use qualify for better rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage.
  • Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. These vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
  • Do you have a high stress job? - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs such as lawyers, business owners and accountants have higher rates than average attributed to high stress levels and long work days. On the flip side, occupations such as farmers, athletes and performers get better rates.
  • Little extras can really add up - There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can buy if you aren't careful. Coverages like rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment at first, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
  • Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Many insurers will give a discount to people who consolidate policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even if you're getting this discount you may still want to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
  • Theft deterrents lower rates - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder car theft.

Comparison of Auto Insurance in Lakeville

All major auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive provide coverage price quotes on their websites. Getting online quotes is fairly simple as you just type in as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, their system will obtain reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price quote based on many factors. Online price quotes streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit each company's website and repetitively type in the same information is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find better auto insurance pricing.

The preferred way to lower your auto insurance bill requires only one form that gets price quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes quoting online much more enjoyable. As soon as you send your information, it gets priced and you can select any of the resulting price quotes.

If the quotes result in lower rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you type in the insurance coverages as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, buy you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but a few need to be manually applied before you will receive the discount. If they aren't giving you every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Lakeville can help you save on auto insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
  • Employee of Federal Government - Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
  • Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy life insurance.
  • Lower Rates for Military - Being on active duty in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Claim Free - Claim-free drivers can save substantially as compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Driver Safety - Successfully completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
  • Theft Prevention Discount - Cars that have factory anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will cut the cost of coverage.

To choose companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Lakeville, click here to view.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Ohio drivers can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings after switching your coverage to them.

How do they all say the same thing?

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile will have to pay higher premiums and ends up with business not being written. The ads state "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, you need to compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Additional information can be found on the website for the Ohio Department of Insurance through this link. Ohio drivers can report car insurance fraud, download brochures, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and find disaster information.

Best coverage at the best price

The cheapest auto insurance can be purchased on the web as well as from independent agents in Lakeville, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

When shopping online for auto insurance, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate.