How to Know You're Paying Too Much for Car Insurance in Franklin Grove

No one in their right mind looks forward to paying for car insurance, particularly when they are paying too much.

Big companies like GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with TV and radio ads and it can be hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to do rate comparisons periodically due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best rates a few years ago you may be paying too much now. You'll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about car insurance online but I'm going to show you some great ways to slash your car insurance rates.

If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. Buying car insurance in Franklin Grove is not that difficult. Although Illinois consumers do need to know how big insurance companies determine prices.

Franklin Grove Car Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways of comparing rates from different Franklin Grove insurance companies. The recommended way to find competitive insurance rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This can be accomplished in several different ways.

The first (and easiest) way to get the best comparison quotes is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This method keeps you from doing repetitive form entry for each company. Just one form will return price quotes direct from many companies.

A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online consists of visiting the website for each individual company and fill out their own quote form. For example, let's say you want to compare , and . You would have to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is quicker. To view a list of companies in Franklin Grove, click here.

Whichever way you use, be sure to compare exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits for each comparison quote. If you have different values for each quote you can't possibly determine the lowest rate in Franklin Grove. Just a small difference in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. Keep in mind that more quotes will improve the odds of getting better pricing.

Why some people pay less for insurance in Franklin Grove

It's important that you understand some of the elements that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

Where you reside plays a part - Living in a small town can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Fewer people means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. Urban drivers have much more traffic to deal with and longer commute times. More time commuting means more change of being in an accident.
Your credit rating is important - Credit rating is a big factor in determining your rates. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with lower credit ratings. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your credit score.
You might want pay the small claims yourself - If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance companies in Illinois provide cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. Car insurance is intended for larger claims.
Rates may be lower depending on your job - Jobs such as real estate brokers, architects and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates due to high stress levels and long work hours. Other professions such as scientists, historians and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.

Save big with these discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before being credited.

Bundle and Save - When you have multiple policies with the same company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
Passive Restraints - Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
Drivers Ed for Students - Require your teen driver to complete a driver education course in high school.
Federal Employees - Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
College Student - Children living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus may qualify for this discount.
Anti-theft System - Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Military Rewards - Having a deployed family member can result in better rates.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will reduce your overall premium however.

For a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Franklin Grove, follow this link.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When it comes to choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else's so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation might need professional guidance.

What are the best liability limits?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
What are Illinois no-fault laws?
Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Additional information can be read on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, download brochures, and read industry bulletins.

Affordable insurance is out there

As you shop your coverage around, it's a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In many instances, someone dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at the best price.

We just presented many ways to lower your car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the best prices are with a small mutual company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like .