6 Top Tips to Reduce Car Insurance Costs in Council

Consumers not familiar with buying insurance online may find buying cheap Council car insurance very challenging.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Reducing your insurance rates can be relatively painless. You just have to take time getting comparison quotes online with multiple companies. This can be accomplished in several different ways.

The fastest way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form keeps you from doing a different quote for every car insurance company. Just one form gets you price quotes . Just one form and you're done.
A different way to get quotes online requires a trip to each individual company website and fill out their own quote form. For example, let's assume you want to compare , and . To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular.

To view a list of companies in Council, click here.
The most time-consuming method of getting rate comparisons is to spend time driving to different Council agent offices. Buying insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you require the professional advice of a local Council agent. It is possible to find lower rates online and still use a local agent and we'll cover that in a bit.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to compare apples-to-apples quote information for each comparison quote. If you have mixed coverages it's impossible to determine the lowest rate in Council.

Save big with these six discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't list all available discounts very well, so here is a list some of the more common as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If you don't get every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.

Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Council can save you money because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
Good Student - This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
Discount for Swiching Early - Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. The savings is around 10%.
Life Insurance Discount - Some companies give a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
Multiple Cars - Insuring all your vehicles with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
New Car Discount - Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.

Keep in mind that some credits don't apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn't work that way.

To choose insurers with discount car insurance rates in Idaho, click here.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Consumers can't ignore all the ads for cheaper car insurance by Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you change to their company.

But how can every company make the same claim?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer could be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get very good rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Consumers who fall outside this ideal profile must pay higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much. That is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do. This illustrates why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It's just too difficult to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's situation is a little different.

These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation might need professional guidance.

When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
What are the best liability limits?

If you can't answer these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don't have a local agent, complete this form. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Additional detailed information is available at the Idaho Department of Insurance website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, and find out industry alerts.

Other informative sites include this page for Idaho car insurance and this page for help finding agents in Council, ID.

And the best car insurance company is...

Affordable car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Council agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just learned a lot of ways to compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don't be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.