Free Guide to Spending Less for Mauldin Car Insurance Online

Paying for high-priced car insurance can drain your personal savings, especially in this economy. Comparison shopping is a smart way to tighten up your finances. Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

It's important to compare prices yearly because rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best rates on your last policy a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of bad advice regarding car insurance online but we're going to give you some great ways to find cheap car insurance.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies don't necessarily list every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the more common as well as the least known car insurance savings. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you are throwing money away.

Good Student Discount - Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
Multi-policy Discount - If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Use Seat Belts - Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Just because you may think all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won't be that lucky.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get big savings.

How's your driving record? - Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. Just one moving violation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who get serious violations such as DUI or reckless driving may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Where you live can impact rates - Residing in less populated areas has it's advantages when it comes to car insurance. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate. City drivers have to deal with congested traffic and longer commute times. More time on the road translates into higher accident risk.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Your credit score is a important factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Therefore, if your credit rating is lower than you'd like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Higher deductibles cost less - Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims are a windshield shattered by a rock, vandalism, and burglary. Your deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay before your car insurance pays a claim. The more expense you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When it comes to buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Everyone's situation is a little different and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether or not you will benefit from professional help.

Should I buy only the required South Carolina minimum liability coverage?
What are the best liability limits?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
Can I still get insurance after a DUI?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It's fast, doesn't cost anything and can help protect your family.

The car insurance bait and switch

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings from the likes of State Farm and Allstate. All the ads say the same thing about savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How can each company make the same claim?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a preferred risk could be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no prior claims, and has great credit. A customer who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't measure up to the requirements will be charged higher prices which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the savings. That is why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Learn more about car insurance in South Carolina

Even more information can be read at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. Consumers can file complaints about a company, view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, and find disaster information.

And the best car insurance company is...

We just showed you a lot of information how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as .

When you buy insurance online, it's not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.