How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Bourne

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your checking account and force you to make sacrifices. Doing a price comparison is a great way to slash your bill and have more diposable income. Big-name insurance companies like GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with advertising and it is challenging if not impossible to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can follow these tips to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Finding affordable coverage in Bourne is easy if you know what you're doing. Massachusetts vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to compare rates on the web.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies offering auto insurance don't necessarily list all available discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

  • Multiple Cars - Buying insurance for all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
  • Paperless Signup - Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
  • Service Members Pay Less - Being deployed with a military unit could be rewarded with lower premiums.
  • No Accidents - Drivers who don't have accidents can save substantially when compared with bad drivers.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less - By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
  • Accident Waiver - A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven't had any claims prior to the accident.
  • New Vehicle Savings - Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
  • Own a Home - Owning a home in Bourne can save you money because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
  • Good Student Discount - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.

Consumers should know that some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don't profit that way.

To see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Bourne, click here.

Bourne Auto Insurance Prices Online

Finding cheaper auto insurance prices doesn't have to be difficult. Consumers just need to invest a little time comparing rates online with multiple companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.

  • The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for every auto insurance company. One form submission will get you price quotes from all major companies.
  • A less efficient way to shop for auto insurance online requires a visit to each individual company website to complete a price quote. For example, we'll pretend you want comparison quotes from , and . To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to input your insurance information, and that's why the first method is more popular.

    For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Bourne, click here.
  • The most time-consuming way of getting rate comparisons is driving to and from local Bourne insurance agencies. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a need for the personal advice of a local Bourne agent. It is possible to obtain prices from the web but buy from a local insurance agent and we'll touch on that later.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage limits for every company. If you compare differing limits you will not be able to decipher which rate is best in Bourne.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" auto insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

  • Liability coverage is peace of mind - Your policy's liability coverage is the protection if a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides for a legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
  • Having a spouse can save you money - Having a spouse helps lower the price on auto insurance. Having a spouse means you're more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
  • High crash test scores lower rates - Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders.
  • Your stress level may be raising your rates - Occupations such as lawyers, social workers and dentists tend to have the highest average rates in part from stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. Other occupations like pilots, historians and retirees receive lower rates.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment - Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping auto theft.
  • Drive less and save money - The higher the mileage driven in a year's time the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies price each vehicle's coverage based on how the vehicle is used. Cars left parked in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your auto insurance declarations sheet is rated on the correct usage for each vehicle.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Massachusetts drivers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings by Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim that you'll save big if you change to their company.

How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

All companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for the requirements must pay more money and this can result in business not being written. The ads say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. This is how companies can state the savings. This illustrates why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

And the best car insurance company is...

Discount auto insurance is attainable on the web and also from your neighborhood Bourne agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

For more Massachusetts auto insurance information

More detailed Massachusetts auto insurance information can be found at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website. Massachusetts drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, get help finding coverage, find disaster information, and read industry bulletins.