Tightwads Tips for Saving on Gilman Auto Insurance

Nobody cherishes buying auto insurance, in particular when they are paying too much.

Drivers have so many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have a selection, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with how car insurance quotes work and some money-saving tips. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to save some money using this strategy. Nevertheless, Illinois drivers do need to know the way companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you get the savings.

Driver Safety - Taking a course in driver safety can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
Life Insurance - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
Paperless Signup - Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks simply for signing over the internet.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Fewer annual miles can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Memberships - Participating in a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance.
Claim Free - Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared with bad drivers.
Accident Forgiveness - Certain companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven't had any claims for a certain period of time.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.

To see a list of insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Illinois, click here to view.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Most companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm quote price estimates directly from their websites. Getting online rates is quite simple as you just enter your personal and coverage information as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the company's rating system will obtain credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on many factors. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit multiple sites and enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to get many rate quotes if you are searching for the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to compare rates uses one simple form that gets prices from a lot of companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes quoting online much easier to do. After sending the form, it is quoted and you can select any one of the price quotes you receive.

If you find a better price you can click and sign and purchase coverage. It takes just a few minutes to complete and may result in a nice savings.

To save time and find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you duplicate identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

The following are some of the factors used by your company to calculate premiums.

Extra coverages can waste money - There are a ton of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem good initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Traffic violations increase rates - Only having one speeding ticket can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to keep their license.
Where do you drive? - Driving more miles each year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies apply a rate determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Verify your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money.
Pay less after the wedding - Being married can get you a discount on your policy. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and responsible and statistics show married couples file fewer claims.

Tailor your coverage to you

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a one size fits all plan. Every situation is different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions may help highlight whether you might need an agent's assistance.

Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Should I buy only the required Illinois minimum liability coverage?
What are the financial responsibility laws in Illinois?
Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
Do I qualify for additional discounts?

If you're not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

How can 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm save drivers who switch?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on television and other media. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings after switching your coverage to them. How does each company make almost identical claims? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has a short commute. A driver who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Drivers who are not a match for these standards must pay a higher premium and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Shop smart and save

Cost effective auto insurance can be purchased online as well as from independent agents in Gilman, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers don't offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we presented many tips how you can compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as .

As you shop your coverage around, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional auto insurance information is available on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance found here. Illinois consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and get help finding coverage.