How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Car Insurance in South Burlington

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can dwindle your checking account and force you to make sacrifices. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

You have multiple to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, having more makes it harder to compare rates.

This information will teach you the most effective way to quote insurance. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. But Vermont car owners do need to know the way companies market insurance on the web.

These discounts can lower your rates

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before you will receive the discount.

Government Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off with a few car insurance companies.
Discount for Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance.
Low Mileage Discounts - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Accident Waiver - Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
Discount for Swiching Early - Select companies give a discount for switching to them before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.
Theft Prevention Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Drivers Education - Have your child successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
Own a Home - Simply owning a home may trigger a car insurance policy discount because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.

To see a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Vermont, follow this link.

How to Get Cheap Car Insurance in South Burlington, VT

Most companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO give pricing on their websites. The process is pretty easy as you simply type in your required coverages as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information. Quoting online makes comparing rates easy, but the time it takes to visit several different sites and type in the same information is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to perform this step in order to get better car insurance pricing.

The preferred way to compare car insurance pricing utilizes a single form to obtain quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes quoting online much more efficient. Immediately after you send the form, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the price quotes you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. This process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and may result in a nice savings.

If you want to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you input the limits and deductibles identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Why some people pay less for insurance in South Burlington

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are some of the items companies use to determine prices.

Keep rates low by being claim-free - If you frequently file small claims, you can expect either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Companies in Vermont provide lower rates to people who file claims infrequently. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.
Lower miles equals lower premium - The higher the mileage driven in a year's time the higher your rate. Most companies rate vehicles based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your car insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
Don't get talked into coverage you don't need - There are quite a few add-on coverages that can waste your money on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you don't need them eliminate them to save money.
Men are more aggressive - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are better drivers. Both sexes are in accidents at a similar rate, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
How's your driving record? - Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. Just one ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. If you have dangerous violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find they need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.

Different people need different coverages

When choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn't really a best way to insure your cars. Everyone's situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. For instance, these questions can help discover whether you might need an agent's assistance.

Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO consistently run ads on television and other media. They all say the same thing that you'll save big if you change to them. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a driver they prefer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Potential insureds who are not a match for these standards will be quoted more money which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. This is how companies can advertise the way they do.

This emphasizes why drivers must get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.

Discount car insurance is attainable from both online companies and with local South Burlington insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

Learn more about car insurance in Vermont

Much more information about car insurance in Vermont can be read on the website for the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation. Click here for link. Consumers can download brochures, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, discover disciplinary actions, and learn about insurance regulations.