Top Ways to Save on Duncanville Car Insurance

Are you sick and tired of being strong-armed each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as millions of other consumers.

With so many choices of insurance companies, it can be hard to locate the most cost effective insurance company.

It's important to check car insurance prices once or twice a year because rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best rates last year a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance online but I'm going to show you some great ways to find cheap car insurance.

The purpose of this article is to instruct you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some tips to save money. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Nevertheless, Texas car owners do need to know the way insurance companies sell online.

These discounts can lower your rates

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be asked for before they will apply.

55 and Retired - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive reduced rates.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Duncanville may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
Discount for Swiching Early - Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
Drive Less and Save - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Driver's Ed - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course if offered at their school.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the cost of coverage.

What determines how much you pay?

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

Shown below are some of the items companies use to determine rates.

Males pay more for insurance - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn't mean women are better drivers. Men and women are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving.
Car features impact rates - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices like GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Low deductibles can be expensive - Physical damage coverage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. The more expense you're willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
What type of vehicle do you drive? - The make and model of the car you own makes a big difference in how high your rates are. The cheapest insurance rates are for small economy passenger models, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Better credit means lower rates - Credit score is a huge factor in your rate calculation. Drivers with excellent credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with lower credit ratings. If your credit rating is low, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your rating.
Never allow your policy to lapse - Driving without insurance is illegal and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, failure to provide proof of insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.Then you may be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Texas motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
Safer occupants lowers premiums - Safer cars tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads on television and other media. They all seem to make the same claim of big savings if you change to them. But how can every company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Different companies can use profiling for the type of driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a desirable insured could be a mature driver, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A customer who matches those parameters receives the best rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay higher rates which leads to business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. That's why insurance companies can confidently claim big savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers should get as many comparisons as possible. Because you never know the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can learn about insurance regulations, view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, and learn about specific coverages.

Also read more on this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of insurance agents in Duncanville.

Shop smart and save

When trying to cut insurance costs, don't be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

Cost effective car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and with local Duncanville insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.