Tightwads Guide for Saving on Casey Car Insurance

Paying for high-priced car insurance can overdraw your personal savings and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping is a great way to cut your insurance bill. Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with ads and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

It's important to do rate comparisons yearly due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the lowest price last year a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of bad advice regarding car insurance on the internet, so I'm going to show you some great ways to find cheap car insurance.

How much can you save with discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts that many people don't even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but a few must be asked for before you get the savings. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you are throwing money away.

Life Insurance Discount - Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
Bundle and Save - If you have multiple policies with one company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Theft Prevention System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
College Student - Youth drivers who are attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
Anti-lock Brakes - Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

Why some people pay less for insurance in Casey

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with big savings.

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

Where you live can impact rates - Residing in less populated areas can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Fewer people means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. City drivers have much more traffic to deal with and longer commute times. More time commuting means higher likelihood of an accident.
Multiple policies with one company can save - Most insurance companies will give a discount to insureds who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to 10 percent or more. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Older drivers pay less - More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be more careless when driving and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Battle of the sexes - Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both have accidents in similar numbers, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
More claims means more premium - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can expect higher rates. Car insurance companies in Iowa generally give cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. Insurance coverage is intended for the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.

How much car insurance do I need?

When it comes to buying the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else's and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent's advice.

When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
What can I do if my company won't pay a claim?
What are Iowa no-fault laws?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Iowa?
Should I buy additional glass protection?

If you can't answer these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It's fast, doesn't cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Consumers in Iowa get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you switch to them.

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

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, has no prior claims, and drives newer vehicles. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Drivers who don't meet the requirements will have to pay a higher premium and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers should compare many company's rates. You cannot predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Learn more about car insurance in Iowa

Additional information is located on the website for the Iowa Insurance Division found here. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, read consumer alerts, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and learn about insurance regulations.

A tidy conclusion

When trying to cut insurance costs, it's not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and learned later that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at the best price.

Cheaper car insurance can be found both online and with local Casey insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. A few companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.