Tightwads Tips for Saving on Morrisville Auto Insurance

Have you had enough of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Vermont drivers.

Drivers have so many to pick from, and although it's a good thing to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

Buying affordable auto insurance coverage in Morrisville is simple if you know the tricks. Essentially every vehicle owner who has to buy auto insurance stands a good chance to be able to lower their premiums. Nevertheless, Vermont drivers do need to know how insurance companies determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.

More discounts equal less premium

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help offset the cost. Some discounts apply automatically when you quote, but some must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Drivers Education - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver's education in high school.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
Life Insurance - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance.
Clubs and Organizations - Participating in a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance.
Lower Rates for Military - Being on active duty in the military can result in better rates.
Seat Belts Save - Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.

It's important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Drive a safer car and pay less - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
Claim-free discounts can add up - Auto insurance companies in Vermont award lower rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. If you frequently file small claims, you can look forward to higher rates. Your insurance policy is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Special features that cut premiums - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder car theft.
Drive less and save money - The more you drive every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies apply a rate determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
Protect yourself with liability coverage - The liability section of your policy will protect you if a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
A lapse in coverage is a bad thing - Not having insurance is a misdemeanor and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will insurance be more expensive, getting caught without coverage may earn you a revoked license or a big fine.You may then be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Vermont department of motor vehicles.
Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.

Switch companies and save? Really?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm regularly use ads in print and on television. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings if you move your coverage to them. How does each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A driver who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match these standards must pay a higher premium and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can confidently make those claims.

This illustrates why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It is impossible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

More Vermont auto insurance information

Additional auto insurance information is available on the website for the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation. Click here for link. Vermont consumers can find disaster information, download brochures, view a list of available companies, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Also read more on this page for auto insurance prices in Vermont and this page of Morrisville insurance agents.

Do the work, save more money

Low-cost auto insurance is possible online as well as from independent agents in Morrisville, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. Some companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you're price shopping online, make sure you don't skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out they didn't purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.