How to Know You're Wasting Money for Auto Insurance in Ringgold

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced auto insurance? Believe me when I say you're not the only one.

Big companies like GEICO and Progressive promote their brand names with ad campaigns and it is difficult to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these techniques. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Ringgold is not that difficult. Although Louisiana drivers do need to know the way insurance companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Ringgold, Louisiana

Performing a rate comparison is a ton of work if you don't know the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day driving to insurance agencies in Ringgold, or you could use online quoting to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

All the larger companies take part in a program that enables customers to send in one quote, and every company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to using this type of form is you are unable to specify which companies to get quotes from. If you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to compare, we put together a list of companies who write auto insurance in Louisiana. Click here to view list.

Whichever way you use, ensure you are comparing exactly the same quote information for every company. If you use mixed coverages then you won't be able to decipher which rate is best in Ringgold. Just a small difference in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. Just remember that more quotes will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Why some people pay less for insurance in Ringgold

It's important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.

Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Careers like doctors, architects and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates due to high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. Other jobs such as actors, historians and retirees have the lowest average rates.
Don't skimp on liability - Your policy's liability coverage provides coverage when a court rules you are at fault for damages from an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense coverage which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are quite a few extra coverages that can waste your money on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for personal injury protection, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if you don't need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
High numbers of claims are not good - Companies in Louisiana provide cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. If you frequently file small claims, you can look forward to either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Insurance coverage is designed for the large, substantial claims.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Performance level impacts rates - The performance level of the car you are buying insurance for makes a substantial difference in your rates. Lower performance four cylinder passenger models generally receive the lowest base rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't necessarily list every discount in a way that's easy to find, so here is a list both well-publicized and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings.

Accident Free - Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts when compared to frequent claim filers.
Club Memberships - Participating in a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for auto insurance.
Safety Course Discount - Taking part in a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
Drivers Ed for Students - Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
Military Rewards - Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Discount for Swiching Early - Some companies give discounts for switching policies before your current policy expires. The savings is around 10%.
Discount for Good Grades - Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won't be that lucky.

For a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Ringgold, follow this link.

Even more information is available at the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. Louisiana consumers can read industry bulletins, find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, and download brochures.

Affordable insurance is out there

The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced online and with local Ringgold insurance agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not offer online quoting and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, it's a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.