Easy Ways to Pay Less on Walled Lake Car Insurance

Are you intimidated by the dozens of car insurance choices in Walled Lake? Lot's of other consumers are too. There are so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a lot of work to find the lowest price.

It's important to check car insurance prices every six months since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the lowest price on your last policy a different company probably has better rates today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

Take advantage of discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't necessarily list all their discounts very clearly, so we researched both the well known and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If you're not getting every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

Sign Online - Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
Homeowners Discount - Owning a house in Walled Lake may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home shows financial diligence.
Discount for Good Grades - Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
College Student - Children who are attending college and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
Bundle and Save - If you have multiple policies with the same company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
Early Signing - Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky.

What determines how much you pay?

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine rates.

Marriage pays dividends - Having a wife or husband can actually save you money when buying car insurance. It is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show being married results in fewer claims.
Do you know your deductibles? - Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be collision with another vehicle, damage caused by hail, and windstorm damage. Your deductibles are how much you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. The more you're willing to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
Poor driving leads to higher costs - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Good drivers get better rates than bad drivers. Just one moving violation can increase rates forty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Older drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Michigan are statistically proven to be more careless when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.
Where you live can impact rates - Choosing to live in a rural area can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. City drivers tend to have much more traffic and longer commute times. Fewer people means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
High performance equals high price - The performance level of the car you own makes a huge difference in the rate you pay. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for low performance passenger vehicles, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Consumers in Michigan get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you switch to them.

How does each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, has no driving citations, and has great credit. Any new insured who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and most likely will save when switching.

Drivers who don't qualify for these standards will have to pay higher premiums which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "customers who switch" not "people who quote" save money. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers should get as many quotes as possible. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Even more information is located at the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation website. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, report car insurance fraud, and file complaints about a company.

In the end, you save

Cheaper car insurance is available both online and with local Walled Lake insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

We just covered many ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a small mutual company.

When you buy insurance online, it's very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed liability coverage limits only to discover later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price.