Tightwads Tips for Saving on Hatfield Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me, you are not the only one feeling buyer's remorse. Drivers have so many to pick from, and though it is a good thing to be able to choose, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

It's important to compare prices at least once a year since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best deal a year ago you can probably find a better price now. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we're going to show you the proper way to find lower rates on car insurance.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

Listed below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate rates.

Are you male or female? - Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage. They also have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
Don't get talked into coverage you don't need - There are many extra coverages that you can buy when buying car insurance. Coverages for roadside assistance, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Poor driving leads to higher costs - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. Only having one moving violation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Big city or small town - Choosing to live in a rural area can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Drivers in populated areas regularly have much more traffic and longer commute times. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
Proper usage rating affects rates - The more miles you rack up on your car in a year the more you will pay for car insurance. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than those used for commuting. Make sure your car insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.
Adjust deductibles and save - Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be a windshield shattered by a rock, damage caused by hail, and windstorm damage. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. The more money you have to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
High crash test scores lower rates - Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.

Save big with these discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Most are applied at the time you complete a quote, but some must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings. If you're not getting every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Defensive Driver - Completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
Discount for Good Grades - This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
Auto/Life Discount - Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
Multi-car Discount - Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Drive Less and Save - Driving fewer miles can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.

As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Most cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in Arkansas, click this link.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Consumers in Arkansas can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings from the likes of Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to make the same claim about savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How does each company claim to save you money?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. Any new insured who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential customers who fall outside these standards will have to pay a more expensive rate which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That's the way companies can truthfully make those claims.

Because of the profiling, you should get as many comparisons as possible. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Additional information is available on the website for the Arkansas Insurance Department located here. Visitors are able to learn about insurance regulations, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, and view agent and company licensing information.

Other informative sites include this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of insurance agents in Hatfield.

And the best car insurance company is...

While you're price shopping online, make sure you don't buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford.

Cheap car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Hatfield, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. Some companies don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

We just covered many ideas to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the lowest premiums are with some of the lesser-known companies. Some small companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .