Comparing Low-Cost Gardner Car Insurance

Have you had enough of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as many other drivers in Illinois.

With consumers having so many choices, it is hard for the average consumer to find the cheapest provider.

Buying affordable protection in Gardner is simple if you know the tricks. Basically, every vehicle owner who is required by state law to have car insurance will most likely be able to lower their premiums. But Illinois car owners do need to know how insurance companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

You have some control over your rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Liability coverage will protect you if you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder auto theft.
Women pay lower rates - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets such as reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
How credit affects car insurance rates - A driver's credit history is a huge factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit rating is not that good, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit scores.
How's your driving record? - Whether or not you get tickets has a big impact on rates. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single ticket can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Drivers with flagrant tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to file a SR-22 with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
Lower miles equals lower premium - Driving more miles every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies rate vehicles based on how the vehicle is used. Cars used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than those used for commuting. Double check that your car insurance coverage properly reflects the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money.
Claim-free discounts can add up - If you file claims often, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance companies in Illinois generally give discounts to people who are claim-free. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Gardner

There are several ways to compare quotes and find the best price. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates is simply to get online rate quotes. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

The fastest way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. Taking the time to complete one form gets you price quotes from multiple companies.
Another way to get quotes online requires visiting each individual company website to complete a price quote. For examples sake, we'll pretend you want rates from , and . To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, and that's why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Gardner, click here.
The most time-consuming way to get comparison rates is to drive around to different Gardner agent offices. Buying insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you have a need for the personal advice that only a license agent can provide. It is possible to find lower rates online and still use a local agent and we'll talk about that later.

Whichever method you choose, double check that you are using apples-to-apples quote information with each company. If you use mixed coverages it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison in Gardner. Slightly different insurance coverages may result in a large different in cost. It's important to know that getting more free quotes provides better odds of finding the best offered rates.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.

Organization Discounts - Belonging to a professional or civic organization may earn a discount when buying car insurance.
Payment Method - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you may reduce your total bill.
One Accident Forgiven - Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven't had any claims for a set time period.
Anti-lock Brakes - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can reduce accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
Good Students Pay Less - This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
Life Insurance Discount - Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance.
Driver's Ed - Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver's education if it's offered in school.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts of more than 20%.
Driver Safety - Successfully completing a driver safety course could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
Early Switch Discount - Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. It's a savings of about 10%.

Drivers should understand that some credits don't apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.

To choose insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Illinois, click here.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim that you'll save big after switching to their company. But how can every company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer could be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who fall outside this ideal profile must pay more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. That's why companies can make those claims.

This illustrates why you need to get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know the company that will have the lowest rates.

Much more information about car insurance in Illinois is available on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, view a list of available companies, learn about insurance regulations, and find out industry alerts.

Other informative sites include this link for Illinois car insurance quotes and this link which helps you find a Gardner agent.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Budget-conscious car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Gardner agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you're price shopping online, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.