Tightwads Tips for Saving on Cataldo Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced car insurance? Trust us, many Cataldo consumers feel financially strained by their car insurance policy. Consumers have many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have a selection, it can be more difficult to compare rates.

This article will tell you how car insurance quotes work and some tips to save money. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using this strategy. Idaho drivers only need an understanding of how to buy car insurance online.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there could be available discounts that you may not even be aware of. Most are applied at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for before you will receive the discount. If you're not getting every credit possible, you're paying more than you need to.

Memberships - Belonging to a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break when buying car insurance.
Defensive Driver - Completing a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Discount for Good Grades - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
No Charge for an Accident - Certain 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.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Auto/Home Discount - When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.

It's important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Idaho, follow this link.

How to Compare Cataldo Car Insurance Costs

Most companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive quote prices online. Getting quotes is quite easy as you just enter the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns a price quote. Quoting online simplifies rate comparisons, but the time required to go to several different sites and complete many quote forms is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to compare as many rates as possible if you are searching for the best price on car insurance.

The preferred way to find better car insurance pricing is to use a quote form to get prices from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes rate comparisons much more enjoyable. As soon as the form is sent, it is quoted and you can choose any one of the price quotes you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. It takes just a few minutes to complete and can result in significant savings.

To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you replicate coverages and limits exactly as they are listed on your policy. This makes sure you will have comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

You have some control over your rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates enables informed choices that could result in lower car insurance prices.

Listed below are some of the factors car insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

Protect yourself with liability coverage - Liability insurance provides coverage if you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides legal defense coverage starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are many extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and term life insurance are examples of these. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if they're wasting money eliminate them to save money.
Tickets mean higher rates - Whether or not you get tickets has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Just one citation can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Drivers with serious tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Are you male or female? - Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Women and men are in accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 tend to get in the most accidents and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
How credit affects car insurance rates - A driver's credit score is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit rating is lower than you'd like, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit.
More people means more accidents - Choosing to live in a rural area is a positive aspect when it comes to car insurance. City drivers have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
Marriage pays dividends - Being married can actually save you money when buying car insurance. Having a spouse means you're more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.

How can Allstate, GEICO and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Consumers can't get away from ads that promise big savings by Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies say the same thing of big savings if you switch to their company.

How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer could be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when switching.

Potential insureds who are not a match for these standards must pay more money which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. That's the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers must get as many comparisons as possible. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

In the end, you save

Low-cost car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Cataldo agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just learned many ways to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the lowest premiums are with a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as .

When buying insurance coverage, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional car insurance information is available on the website for the Idaho Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.