How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Car Insurance in Shermans Dale

Paying for high-priced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your savings account and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping is a great way to lower your monthly bill.

Drivers have multiple to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to have a selection, it can be more challenging to compare rates.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you can get discounts that many people don't even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you purchase, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before being credited.

Defensive Driver - Taking part in a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Auto/Home Discount - When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Theft Prevention System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Paperless Signup - A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
Student in College - Youth drivers living away from home attending college and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles could qualify for a substantially lower rate.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Pennsylvania, click here.

How to Get Cheap Car Insurance in Shermans Dale, PA

There are several ways of comparing rates from local Shermans Dale car insurance companies. The best method to find the lowest rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This type of form keeps you from doing separate quotes to each individual car insurance company. A single, simple form compares rates instantly.
A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online is going to the website for every company you want to comare and fill out their own quote form. For instance, let's assume you want comparison quotes from , and . To find out each rate you need to go to every website and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker. To view a list of companies in Shermans Dale, click here.

However you get your quotes, make sure you use identical coverage limits and deductibles for each comparison quote. If your comparisons have different liability limits then you won't be able to determine the lowest rate in Shermans Dale. Slightly different coverages may cause a big price difference. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps locate the best rates.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that could result in big savings.

Do you need those extra coverages? - There are many add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages for roadside assistance, accidental death and term life insurance are some examples. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if they're wasting money eliminate them to save money.
Where you live can impact rates - Residing in less populated areas is a positive aspect when talking about car insurance. Urban drivers have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Most insurance companies will award you with lower prices to insureds who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to compare rates to ensure the best deal.
Being married is a good thing - Getting married can actually save you money on car insurance. Having a spouse means you're more responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Pennsylvania are statistically proven to get distracted easily when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. If you've ever had to add a teenage driver to your car insurance policy can be quite pricey. More mature drivers are more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn't really a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions can help discover if your situation would benefit from professional advice.

Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Shermans Dale?
Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?

If you can't answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you switch to their company. How does each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer might be a mature driver, has no prior claims, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" receives the best rates and most likely will save when switching.

Consumers who fall outside these standards must pay higher prices and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

This illustrates why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Do the work, save more money

Cheaper car insurance can be found both online and also from your neighborhood Shermans Dale agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When shopping online for car insurance, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Learn more about car insurance in Pennsylvania

Additional information can be read on the website for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department found here. Visitors are able to discover disciplinary actions, view agent and company licensing information, read consumer alerts, and get help finding coverage.