6 Discounts Rochester Shoppers Forget when Buying Car Insurance
Are you overwhelmed by the crazy number of car insurance options in Rochester? You're not the only one! Drivers have so many options available that it can turn into a real hassle to find lower rates.
It's important to check car insurance prices at least once a year since rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price a couple years back you will most likely find a better rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I'm going to let you in on the secrets to one of the easiest ways to buy cheaper car insurance.
If you are insured now or need new coverage, you can learn to get lower rates while maintaining coverages. Pricing the lowest cost car insurance coverage in Rochester is quite easy. Pennsylvania consumers only need to know the best way to compare company rates online.
Be sure to get all your discounts
Auto insurance companies don't list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find both the well known and the harder-to-find ways to save on car insurance. If they aren't giving you every credit possible, you are throwing money away.
- Auto/Life Discount - Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Drive Less and Save - Keeping the miles down can earn better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Student Driver Training - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in high school.
- Defensive Driving Course - Completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
- Bundle and Save - If you have multiple policies with one company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
- Discount for Good Grades - Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up to age 25.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky.
Is there truth in advertising?
Consumers in Pennsylvania get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to make the same claim about savings if you move to them.
How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.
All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured might be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who matches those parameters receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.
Potential customers who don't measure up to the "perfect" profile will have to pay higher prices which leads to the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save money. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, you should quote coverage with many companies. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Even more information can be found at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find disaster information, and view a list of available companies.
A tidy conclusion
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.
The cheapest car insurance is possible both online and with local Rochester insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including delays in paying claims, delays in responding to claim requests, extreme rates for teen drivers and even policy non-renewal. Regardless of your reason, switching car insurance companies is less work than it seems.
