Car Insurance in Alabaster, AL - 10 Discounts You Might be Unaware of

I can't think of anyone who likes paying for car insurance, especially when they are paying too much.

Numerous battle for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the best coverage at the lowest rate

Save big with these ten discounts

Companies don't necessarily list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the more common and the harder-to-find ways to save on car insurance.

  • Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Alabaster may earn you a small savings because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
  • Early Signing - Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
  • Theft Prevention System - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Defensive Driver - Taking part in a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
  • Auto/Home Discount - If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
  • Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared with accident-prone drivers.
  • Payment Discounts - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
  • 55 and Retired - If you're over the age of 55, you may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
  • Organization Discounts - Belonging to certain professional organizations could trigger savings when buying car insurance.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won't be that lucky.

To choose insurers offering car insurance discounts in Alabaster, click this link.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you switch your policy. How do they all make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer could be over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any new insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.

Potential insureds who fall outside the "perfect" profile must pay more money which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. This illustrates why you should get a wide range of price quotes. It's just too difficult to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's situation is unique so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation may require specific advice.

  • When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
  • Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
  • Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
  • Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
  • Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?

If it's difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Additional Alabama consumer information

Even more information is available at the Alabama Department of Insurance website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, read consumer alerts, and discover disciplinary actions.

Alabama car insurance

Shop smart and save

Cheaper car insurance can be found from both online companies in addition to many Alabaster insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just learned many ideas to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a smaller regional carrier. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like .

When shopping online for car insurance, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.