Tightwads Guide for Saving on Merion Station Auto Insurance

Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your checking account and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping is a smart way to slash your bill and have more diposable income. Big companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with fancy advertisements and it is challenging if not impossible to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Merion Station is not that difficult. Pennsylvania consumers only need to know the best way to buy auto insurance online.

Low Cost Merion Station Auto Insurance

Most major insurance companies provide coverage prices online. Getting online quotes is pretty painless as you just enter your coverage information as detailed in the form. Behind the scenes, their system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information. Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the time it takes to visit several different sites and enter the same data into a form can get tiresome after awhile. But it's very important to perform this step if you want to find the best price on auto insurance.

Quote rates the easy way

A less time-consuming method to locate the lowest prices requires only one form that gets prices from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes price shopping online much more efficient. After sending your information, it gets priced and you can choose your choice of the returned quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. The whole process takes less than 15 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 submit your coverage information. To compare your current rates, we recommend you replicate coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This way, you will get rate comparison quotes based on similar coverages.

auto insurance in Merion Station

Merion Station Rates are Influenced by These Factors

It's important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

  • Do you need those extra coverages? - There are many add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren't careful. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and term life insurance are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but if they're wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
  • Older drivers save more - More mature drivers are more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Teenage drivers are statistically proven to be more careless when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
  • More than one policy can earn a discount - Most companies will award you with lower prices to people who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even if you're getting this discount it's in your best interest to shop around to ensure the best deal.
  • Too many auto insurance claims drive up costs - Auto insurance companies in Pennsylvania provide cheaper rates to insureds who are claim-free. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.
  • Save money with special equipment - Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies offering auto insurance don't always publicize all available discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we break down some of the best known and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you're just leaving money on the table.

  • Defensive Driver - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
  • Student in College - Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Drivers Ed for Students - Require your teen driver to enroll in driver's education in school.
  • Payment Discounts - If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
  • Accident Waiver - A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates so long as you haven't had any claims prior to the accident.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, you won't be that lucky.

For a list of insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Merion Station, follow this link.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Every insured's situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions may help you determine whether you will benefit from professional help.

  • Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
  • What are Pennsylvania no-fault laws?
  • Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
  • Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
  • What can I do if my company won't pay a claim?
  • Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
  • Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?

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

Even more information can be found at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department website. Pennsylvania drivers can discover disciplinary actions, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, read consumer alerts, and download brochures.

Merion Station auto insurance comparison

Best coverage at the best price

The cheapest auto insurance can be found on the web and also from your neighborhood Merion Station agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide online quoting and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, it's not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.