Getting the Cheapest Havelock Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, there are many people just like you.

Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive increase brand awareness with ad campaigns and it is difficult to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to compare prices every six months because prices are constantly changing. Just because you had the lowest rates on your last policy you can probably find a better price now. So just block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you're going to get a crash course in the tricks you need to know to find lower rates on auto insurance.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

Pay less if you're married - Having a spouse can actually save you money on your policy. It translates into being more responsible and it's proven that being married results in fewer claims.
Do you know your deductibles? - Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims could be a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, or theft. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are willing to pay before your auto insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit score is a important factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. If your credit history is lower than you'd like, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
Theft deterrents lower rates - Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can thwart car theft.
Liability coverage protects you - Liability insurance provides coverage if ever a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are many extra coverages that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.

How much can you save with discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don't always list all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we break down both well-publicized as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using.

Sign Online - Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy digitally online.
Homeowners Discount - Owning a house in Havelock can help you save on auto insurance because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Passive Restraint Discount - Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
Organization Discounts - Participating in a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates on auto insurance.
Multi-car Discount - Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

To choose companies offering auto insurance discounts in Havelock, click here to view.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How can each company make almost identical claims?

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be between 25 and 40, has no driving citations, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Drivers who don't meet the requirements will have to pay higher premiums and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, you should get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Even more information can be found at the Iowa Insurance Division website. Iowa consumers can get help finding coverage, report car insurance fraud, find out industry alerts, and view a list of available companies.

Final considerations

Cheap auto insurance is available online as well as from independent agents in Havelock, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

You just read some good ideas how you can save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the least-expected company. Some small companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like .

When you buy insurance online, it's not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford.