Tightwads Instructions on Saving on Murrysville Auto Insurance

Expensive auto insurance can drain your bank account, especially in this economy. Shopping your coverage around is free and is an excellent way to tighten up your finances. Lots of contend to insure your vehicles, and because of this it can be hard to compare to find the absolute lowest price

More discounts equal less premium

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there are discounts available that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied prior to receiving the credit. If they aren't giving you every credit you deserve, you are throwing money away.

Payment Discounts - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
Accident Waiver - A few companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
Good Student Discount - Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Early Signing - Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.

It's important to note that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you're out of luck. But any discount will cut your premiums.

What determines how much you pay?

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" companies use to determine prices.

Your car's features help determine rates - Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features such as GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all aid in stopping your vehicle from being stolen.
Are you male or female? - Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both cause accidents in similar percentages, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving. Young males are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
Cautious drivers pay less - Good drivers have lower premiums than bad drivers. Only having one speeding ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. If you have serious violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find they need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Liability insurance protects assets - Liability insurance is the protection when you are found liable for damages from an accident. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Is your vehicle built for speed? - The performance of the car you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in your rates. Low performance passenger vehicles usually have the lowest rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
Safe vehicles cost less to insure - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers in Pennsylvania get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all make the same claim that you can save if you switch to them.

How do they all claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a driver they prefer might be between the ages of 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has a short commute. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who do not match the "perfect" profile will be quoted higher prices which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save money. This is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

This emphasizes why drivers should get as many comparisons as possible. It's impossible to know which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

For more Pennsylvania auto insurance information

More information can be found on the website for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department located here. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

In the end, you save

Lower-priced auto insurance is available both online and with local Murrysville insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

We covered some good ideas how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the lowest rates come from some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as .