How to Find Cheaper Plymouth Meeting Car Insurance

Are you overwhelmed by the number of car insurance options in Plymouth Meeting? You're not alone. There are so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a challenge to find the lowest price.

If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. The purpose of this article is to tell you how car insurance quotes work and some money-saving tips. Pennsylvania drivers only need an understanding of how to compare company rates online.

Tips to Get Lower Plymouth Meeting Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better car insurance rates.

Listed below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate premiums.

Protect your assets with liability insurance - Liability insurance provides coverage if you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense coverage up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Don't get talked into coverage you don't need - There are many extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem good at first, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don't get tickets receive lower rates than bad drivers. Just one citation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers with serious tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Are you male or female? - Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women have accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are several times more likely to be in an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
With age comes lower rates - Older insureds are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to get distracted easily when behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
More than one policy can earn a discount - Most companies will award you with lower prices to insureds who have multiple policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can be anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. If you currently are using one company, you may still want to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by buying car insurance from a different company.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. Most are applied at quote time, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about in order for you to get them. If they aren't giving you every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

Organization Discounts - Being a member of certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break when buying car insurance.
Defensive Driver - Taking a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
Air Bag Discount - Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings of up to 25% or more.
Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Student in College - Children who live away from home and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
Anti-theft System - Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Auto/Home Discount - If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.

Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will cut the amount you have to pay.

To choose insurers offering car insurance discounts in Plymouth Meeting, follow this link.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers in Pennsylvania can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings from the likes of Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies say the same thing of big savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How do they all claim to save you money?

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has great credit. Any driver who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to the "perfect" profile must pay more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "people who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

This illustrates why you should get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Additional car insurance information is available on the Pennsylvania Insurance Department website through this link. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, and file complaints about a company.

A tidy conclusion

Cost effective car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Plymouth Meeting, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who don't offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just presented many ways to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn't do a lot of advertising.

When you buy insurance online, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.