Charleston Car Insurance For Less Than You're Paying Now

Are you overwhelmed by the number of car insurance company choices in Charleston? You have a lot of company. Drivers have so many choices that it can turn into a challenge to find the perfect company for you.

It's important to compare prices at least once a year due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best deal last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. So just block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I'm going to teach you the only way to find lower rates on car insurance.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes some of the factors car insurance companies consider when setting rates.

  • Pay less after the wedding - Being married actually saves money on your policy. It means you're more mature it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
  • Safer occupants lowers premiums - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. These vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts passed on to you as lower rates.
  • Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates - Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart car theft.
  • Multiple policies with one company can save - The majority of insurers will give a discount to insureds who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it's in your best interest to comparison shop to ensure the best deal. Consumers may find a better deal by splitting coverages up.
  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in Mississippi tend to be more careless when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
  • Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are a lot of extra coverages that you can buy when buying car insurance. Things like rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and term life insurance may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if they're wasting money remove them from your policy.
  • Liability insurance protects assets - The liability section of your policy provides coverage if ever you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.

Comprehensive Charleston Car Insurance Comparison Quotes

All major car insurance companies allow you to get coverage prices on their websites. Obtaining pricing is quite simple as you just type in the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, the system will obtain your driving and credit reports and generates a price determined by many factors.

This helps simplify price 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 do this in order to find better car insurance pricing.

The preferred way to find better car insurance pricing makes use of a single form that gets price quotes from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates repetitive work, and makes rate comparisons much simpler. Immediately after submitting the form, it is rated and you are able to buy any or none of the resulting price quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and could lower your rates considerably.

In order to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you input exactly as shown on your declarations page. This makes sure you will have comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies that sell car insurance don't always list all their discounts very well, so here is a list both the well known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using.

  • Sign Online - A few companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application online.
  • Drive Less and Save - Keeping the miles down can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Service Members Pay Less - Being on active duty in the military can result in better rates.
  • Anti-lock Brake System - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • College Student - Kids in college who live away from home without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.

It's important to note that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you're out of luck.

To choose companies with the best car insurance discounts in Mississippi, click here to view.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive regularly use ads on television and other media. They all seem to make an identical promise that you can save if you move to their company. But how can every company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. Any driver who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential customers who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay a more expensive rate and ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. That's the way insurance companies can claim big savings. Because of the profiling, you need to get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Additional detailed information is available at the Mississippi Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, find disaster information, and view a list of available companies.

Other informative sites include this page for Mississippi car insurance and see this list of insurance agents in Charleston.

car insurance in Charleston

Do the work, save more money

Lower-priced car insurance is possible both online and also from your neighborhood Charleston agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. A few companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including an unsatisfactory settlement offer, delays in responding to claim requests, unfair underwriting practices or even policy cancellation. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching car insurance companies is easier than you think.

When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.