How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Car Insurance in Portsmouth

Are you tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Ohio consumers.

You have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to shop coverage around before your policy renews because rates are constantly changing. If you had the best deal a few years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Starting now, forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you're going to learn the only way to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

This article will let you in on how car insurance quotes work and some money-saving tips. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using this strategy. Although Ohio car owners do need to know how companies determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.

Tips to Get Lower Portsmouth Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

The list below includes some of the factors used by your company to calculate rates.

  • Where do you drive? - The more you drive every year the more you will pay for car insurance. Almost all companies rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Make sure your car insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
  • Rates may be lower depending on your job - Jobs such as doctors, architects and financial analysts have higher average rates due to high stress levels and lengthy work days. Conversely, occupations such as farmers, engineers and the unemployed get better rates.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder your car from being stolen.
  • Sex matters - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, don't assume that women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men are in accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. They also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
  • How's your driving record? - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than people who have multiple driving citations. Just one moving violation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who have severe citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can buy on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
  • Marriage pays dividends - Being married actually saves money when buying car insurance. It translates into being more responsible and statistics show drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are collision with another vehicle, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. Your deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The more money you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.

Ohio car insurance quotes

Comparison of Car Insurance in Portsmouth

All major car insurance companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive provide coverage price quotes online. The process is fairly simple as you just type in as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, their rating system will obtain credit information and your driving record and generates pricing information based on many factors. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and enter the same data into a form is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it's very important to get many rate quotes if you want to find the best price on car insurance.

The preferred way to lower your car insurance bill utilizes a single form that obtains quotes from a lot of companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes online shopping much more enjoyable and efficient. After sending the form, it gets priced and you are able to buy any one of the resulting price quotes.

If you find a better price you simply finish the application and purchase the new policy. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

If you want to find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you enter coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will be getting a rate comparison for the exact same coverage.

Are you getting all your discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, buy you may qualify for discounts to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you get the savings.

  • New Car Discount - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
  • Claim Free - Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts as compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
  • One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
  • Passive Restraints - Factory air bags may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
  • Drive Less and Save - Keeping the miles down can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Portsmouth may trigger a car insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down the cost of coverage.

To choose companies with the best car insurance discounts in Ohio, follow this link.

How can GEICO, State Farm and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive regularly use ads on television and other media. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you move your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

All companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured could be between 25 and 40, is a homeowner, and has a short commute. A customer who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Drivers who are not a match for these standards will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That's why companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

Because of the profiling, you need to quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Additional information is available on the website for the Ohio Department of Insurance found here. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read industry bulletins, view a list of available companies, and learn about insurance regulations.

Final considerations

As you shop your coverage around, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.

The cheapest car insurance is possible from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Portsmouth, so you should compare both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.