How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Auto Insurance in Golden Valley

Have you had enough of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other Arizona drivers.

Online insurance companies like GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with TV and radio ads and it is difficult to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to compare prices before your policy renews since insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price a few years ago you may be paying too much now. You'll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about auto insurance on the internet, so we're going to give you some great ways to slash your auto insurance rates.

Cheap Golden Valley Auto Insurance Comparisons

The are a couple different ways of comparing rate quotes and find the best price. The recommended way to compare insurance prices consists of shopping online. This can be accomplished in several different ways.

The first (and easiest) 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 repetitive form entry for each company. In just a few minutes this one form gets you price quotes direct from many companies.

A less efficient way to shop for auto insurance online requires a trip to each company website to request a price quote. For example, let's assume you want rates from , and . You would have to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why most consumers use the first method.

For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Golden Valley, click here.

It's up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you're using exactly the same quote information for each price quote. If you have mixed coverages it will be impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Golden Valley. Having just a slight variation in coverages can result in a big premium difference. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing a large number of companies will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Arizona auto insurance

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

It's important that you understand the rating factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate your rates.

  • Do you know you're credit rating? - Your credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible than those with lower ratings. If your credit is low, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your credit score.
  • Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Occupations like judges, executives and dentists have the highest average rates attributed to high stress levels and long work hours. Other occupations like farmers, historians and retirees get better rates.
  • Liability coverage protects you - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Theft deterrents lower rates - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
  • Safer cars are cheaper to insure - Safer cars tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, or theft. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your auto insurance pays a claim. The more you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • The more you drive the more you pay - The higher the mileage driven every year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos that are left in the garage receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance declarations sheet is rated on the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles you can purchase if you aren't careful. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, better glass coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment at first, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Auto insurance companies do not list every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so we researched some of the best known and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance.

  • Air Bag Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
  • Claim Free - Claim-free drivers pay much less compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Club Memberships - Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings on your policy.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less - If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
  • Lower Rates for Military - Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
  • Multiple Cars - Buying insurance for all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

For a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in Golden Valley, click this link.

Even more information is located at the Arizona Department of Insurance website. Arizona drivers can find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, find out which companies have the most complaints, and view a list of available companies.

Shop smart and save

In this article, we covered some good ideas how to lower your auto insurance rates. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from an unexpected company. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like .

Cheap auto insurance can be sourced on the web as well as from independent agents in Golden Valley, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers don't offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.