Find Cheaper Elgin Car Insurance

Comparison shopping for Elgin car insurance is hard for beginners to buying insurance online. There are so many companies to choose from that it can easily become a big hassle to find the best price in Elgin.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about before you get the savings.

Student Driver Training - Have your child successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.
Memberships - Being a member of certain professional organizations could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
Safety Course Discount - Completing a defensive driving course could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers may receive a small decrease in premiums.

It's important to note that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, you're out of luck. But any discount will cut the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Elgin, click this link.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Elgin

The are a couple different ways of comparing rates and find the best price. The best method to find the cheapest insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online. This can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This form prevents you from having to do separate quote forms for every car insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form gets you price quotes from many national carriers. It's the fastest way to compare.
A slightly less efficient method to shop for car insurance online requires a trip to the website of each company to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, let's assume you want rates from , 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. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Elgin, click here.
The hardest way of getting rate comparisons is driving to insurance agents' offices. Shopping for car insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you require the professional advice of a local Elgin agent. Drivers can obtain prices from the web but buy from a local insurance agent and you'll learn how to do that later.

It's up to you how you get prices quotes, just double check that you are using the exact same quote information on every quote you get. If you compare mixed coverages it will be impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Elgin. Having just a slight variation in limits can result in a big premium difference. It's important to know that comparing a large number of companies will increase your chances of finding a better price.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.

Shown below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate prices.

Too many car insurance claims drive up costs - If you frequently file small claims, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Companies in South Carolina give better rates to drivers who do not file claims often. Auto insurance is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car with an alarm system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Liability insurance protects assets - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you when you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense coverage starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Add-on coverages can add up - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that can waste your money when buying car insurance. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Mature drivers pay less - Mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Youthful drivers have a tendency to be less responsible in a vehicle therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
Males pay more for insurance - The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men have accidents at about the same rate, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving.
Discounts for married couples - Being married helps lower the price on your car insurance policy. Having a significant other translates into being more mature and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Car insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO consistently run television and radio advertisements. They all make the same claim that you can save if you change your coverage to them. How do they all claim to save you money?

All companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a driver they prefer might be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has great credit. Any driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who don't qualify for the "perfect" profile will be quoted a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Final considerations

Insureds leave their current company for a number of reasons such as extreme rates for teen drivers, questionable increases in premium, not issuing a premium refund or lack of trust in their agent. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new insurance company is actually quite simple.

Lower-priced car insurance can be sourced both online as well as from independent agents in Elgin, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who don't offer the ability to get a quote online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

More information is available on the South Carolina Department of Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to download brochures, view a list of available companies, and find out which companies have the most complaints.