Free Guide to Paying Less for Springfield Car Insurance Online

Tired of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as the majority of other car owners in Pennsylvania.

Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ad campaigns and it can be hard to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It's important to get comparison quotes before your policy renews because rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price six months ago a different company probably has better rates today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you're about to find out the fastest and easiest way to buy cheaper car insurance.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Car insurance companies don't always advertise every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving.

Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles with factory air bags can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
Seat Belt Usage - Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
No Claims - Claim-free drivers can save substantially compared to drivers who are more careless.
Military Discounts - Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
Employee of Federal Government - Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.
Theft Prevention Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a few of the "ingredients" that factor into your rates.

Clean credit earns discounts - Your credit rating is a huge factor in your rate calculation. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit rating can use some improvement, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score.
Don't let your coverage lapse - Driving your car without having proper coverage is illegal and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage have a gap. Not only will rates go up, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.
Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Occupations like lawyers, social workers and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates in part from high stress levels and long work days. Other occupations like farmers, historians and the unemployed pay the least.
Safer cars cost less to insure - Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Keep rates low by being claim-free - If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Insurance companies in Pennsylvania generally give cheaper rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? - The majority of insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to 10 percent or more. Even if you're getting this discount it's in your best interest to compare other company rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Consumers may find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
Bump up deductibles to save - Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, or theft. The deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Older drivers pay less - Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers. Young drivers tend to be more careless in a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Companies like State Farm and Allstate regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the ads have a common claim about savings if you move your policy. How can each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. For example, a preferred risk could be over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and has a high credit rating. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't qualify for the requirements will be charged a higher premium and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that kind of money. That's why companies can truthfully state the savings. That is why drivers should compare as many rates as you can. Because you never know the company that will have the lowest rates.

Learn more today

Even more information can be found at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department website. Consumers can find out industry alerts, find a variety of consumer forms, read industry bulletins, and find disaster information.

Shop smart and save

We just showed you a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like .

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.