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

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me, many consumers are feeling buyer's remorse and feel like there's no way out. You have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Shopping for the cheapest auto insurance in Stevens is easy if you know what you're doing. If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates while maximizing coverage. Pennsylvania consumers only need to know the proper methods to get comparison quotes on the web.

Tips to Get Lower Stevens Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

  • Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Careers like judges, business owners and financial analysts have higher average rates attributed to high stress levels and lengthy work days. Conversely, professions such as actors, engineers and retirees get better rates.
  • High crash test scores lower rates - Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
  • Adjust deductibles and save - Deductibles for physical damage define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
  • Males pay more for insurance - Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI.
  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are quite a few extra coverages that can waste your money if you aren't careful. Coverages for roadside assistance, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment at first, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
  • Optional equipment can affect rates - Choosing a vehicle that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can thwart car theft.
  • Don't skimp on liability - Your policy's liability coverage provides coverage when a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.

How to Compare Stevens Auto Insurance Costs

Reducing your insurance rates is surprisingly easy. Just invest a few minutes comparing rate quotes online from several insurance companies. This can be done in several different ways.

  1. The fastest way to find low rates is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This easy form keeps you from doing separate quotes for every auto insurance company. Completing one form gets you price quotes instantly.
  2. A harder way to compare rate quotes requires a trip to the website of each company and fill out their own quote form. For example, let's assume you want to compare rates from , and . To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why most consumers use the first method. To view a list of companies in Stevens, click here.

It's up to you which method you use, but compare identical quote information for each comparison quote. If you compare mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to determine the lowest rate in Stevens.

Take advantage of discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not know about. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but a few must be manually applied before being credited. If you're not getting every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Claim Free - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Low Mileage Discounts - Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Multiple Cars - Insuring all your vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
  • Senior Discount - If you're over the age of 55, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
  • Safety Course Discount - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
  • Organization Discounts - Affiliation with a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for auto insurance.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To choose insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Pennsylvania, click here to view.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

Pennsylvania drivers can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all make an identical promise about savings if you change your coverage to them.

How does each company say the same thing?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no tickets, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and most likely will save when switching.

Consumers who don't qualify for these standards will be quoted higher prices and ends up with business not being written. The ads say "people who switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

This emphasizes why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Additional information is located on the website for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department through this link. Pennsylvania drivers can read industry bulletins, find disaster information, report car insurance fraud, and learn about insurance regulations.

auto insurance in Stevens

A tidy conclusion

The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced on the web as well as from independent agents in Stevens, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some auto insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

When shopping online for auto insurance, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where an insured dropped collision coverage and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.