How to Find Cheap Bothell Auto Insurance

Finding the best price on Bothell auto insurance is challenging if you're new to online rate quotes. But don't let that discourage you because we're going to show you how.

It's important to get comparison quotes periodically since insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best rates a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is too much inaccurate information about auto insurance online, so we're going to give you some great ways to save money.

The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with the most effective way to quote insurance. If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. But Washington vehicle owners do need to know the way insurance companies sell online.

More discounts equal less premium

Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be asked about prior to getting the savings.

Anti-lock Brakes - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
E-sign - Some insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
Senior Discount - Mature drivers may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
Seat Belt Usage - Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents pay less compared to bad drivers.
Accident Forgiveness - Certain companies permit an accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
Anti-theft System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Low Mileage - Fewer annual miles could qualify for a substantially lower rate.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So even though it sounds like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts will bring down your premiums.

To see a list of providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Washington, click here.

How to Get Bothell Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes

Most companies like Allstate and Progressive give insurance quotes directly from their websites. Getting online quotes doesn't take much effort as you simply enter your personal and coverage information into the quote form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain your driving and credit reports and returns a price quote based on many factors.

Being able to quote online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to each company's website and repetitively type in the same information can be a bit repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible in order to get a lower rate.

The preferred way to compare rates requires only one form to return rates from several different companies. It's a real time-saver, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online quotes much more enjoyable. Immediately after you send the form, your coverage is rated and you can select any one of the price quotes you receive.

If the quotes result in lower rates, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

To quickly find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you duplicate your coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will have comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

The following are some of the items that factor into your rates.

Clean credit earns discounts - Your credit history is a large factor in determining your rates. Therefore, if your credit is not that good, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with lower credit scores.
A clean driving record saves money - Even a single ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
Being married is a good thing - Getting married can get you a discount on auto insurance. Marriage usually means you are more mature than a single person and it's statistically proven that married couples file fewer claims.
Women pay lower rates - Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women cause accidents at a similar rate, but men have costlier accidents. Men also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.

It's not one size fits all

When choosing coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique.

Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight if you would benefit from professional advice.

Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Washington?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?

If you can't answer these questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Companies like Allstate and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. All the ads have a common claim that you'll save big after switching your policy. How does each company say the same thing?

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a preferred risk might be profiled as a mature driver, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match these standards will be charged a more expensive rate and this can result in business not being written. Company advertisements say "people who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. That is how companies can advertise the way they do.

That is why drivers must compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Final considerations

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, someone dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The aim is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the best price on auto insurance is with a company that doesn't do a lot of advertising.

Discount auto insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many Bothell insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some auto insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

Much more information about auto insurance in Washington can be read on the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website through this link. Washington drivers can find out industry alerts, file complaints about a company, and get help finding coverage.