Free Guide to Saving Money on Auburn Auto Insurance Online

Nobody I know looks forward to paying for auto insurance, especially knowing the cost is too high. Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with fancy advertisements and it is challenging if not impossible to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there are discounts available that many people don't even know exist. Most are applied when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount. If you aren't receiving every discount you qualify for, you're paying more than you need to.

Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Auburn may earn you a small savings because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
Early Signing - Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
Drivers Ed for Students - Have your child enroll in driver's education in school.
Military Rewards - Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.

As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Auburn, click this link.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Finding cheaper auto insurance prices is actually quite simple. You just have to invest a little time getting comparison quotes online with multiple companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

The best way to get quotes is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This form prevents you from having to do boring form submissions for every auto insurance company. Just one form compares rates from all major companies.
A less efficient way to get quotes online is going to each individual company website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, we'll pretend you want to compare , and . To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company's site and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Auburn, click here.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just be sure to compare exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If you enter different liability limits it's not possible to truly determine the lowest rate in Auburn.

What determines how much you pay?

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

Listed below are some of the items companies use to determine premiums.

What are your deductibles? - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay before your auto insurance pays a claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. The more expense you're willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
Traffic citations inflate rates - Only having one ticket can increase rates forty percent or more. Good drivers have lower premiums than bad drivers. Drivers with serious tickets such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? - Most auto insurance companies will award you with lower prices to people who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can add up to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even if you're getting this discount you still need to compare rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Too many auto insurance claims drive up costs - Auto insurance companies in Illinois give cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for larger claims.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation could use an agent's help.

When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
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?
Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Illinois?

If it's difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an 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. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Illinois drivers can't get away from ads for cheaper car insurance by companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you switch to them.

How can each company say the same thing?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 40, a clean driving record, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Drivers who fall outside the requirements must pay higher premiums which leads to business not being written. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save money. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

A tidy conclusion

Cheap auto insurance can be found on the web and with local Auburn insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we covered many ideas to compare auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional information can be read on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance located here. Illinois drivers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, read consumer alerts, and download brochures.