Easy Methods to Save Money on Hayden Lake Auto Insurance

Are you overwhelmed by the crazy number of auto insurance companies in Hayden Lake? Lot's of other consumers are too. You have so many choices that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to locate the lowest price.

It's important to compare prices at least once a year because prices are constantly changing. Even if you got the best price last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we're going to demonstrate the tricks you need to know to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

  • Rate your vehicle for proper use - Driving more miles in a year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies apply a rate based on their usage. Autos that are left in the garage qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Verify your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage.
  • Extra coverages can waste money - There are a ton of extra coverages that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
  • Rural vs Urban Areas - Choosing to live in a small town can be a good thing when insuring your vehicles. 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.
  • Liability insurance protects assets - Liability coverage provides coverage if ever a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Careful drivers pay lower rates - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Just one moving violation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who have flagrant citations like DUI or reckless driving may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to keep their license.
  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Teen drivers in Idaho are known to be more careless when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
  • Multiple policies with one company can save - Many auto insurance companies will give a discount to customers who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you still need to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still find a better deal by splitting coverages up.

Idaho auto insurance quotes

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance in Hayden Lake

All major auto insurance companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive allow you to get price estimates directly from their websites. This process is quite simple as you just type in the coverage amounts you desire into the quote form. After the form is submitted, the company's rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and generates pricing information.

This streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit a lot of sites and complete many quote forms is repetitive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, it is important to do this in order to find a lower rate.

The preferred way to find better auto insurance pricing uses one form that obtains quotes from several companies at one time. It's a real time-saver, requires much less work on your part, and makes quoting online much more enjoyable and efficient. Immediately after submitting the form, it is rated and you can select any one of the resulting price quotes. If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes 15 minutes at the most and could lower your rates considerably.

To find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and input your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter the coverage information exactly as shown on your declarations page. This makes sure you will receive a fair comparison for the exact same coverage.

More discounts equal less premium

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise all their discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both well-publicized as well as the least known ways to save on auto insurance.

  • Auto/Life Discount - Some companies give a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
  • Driver Safety - Taking a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
  • Organization Discounts - Participating in a qualifying organization could trigger savings on auto insurance.
  • Discount for Good Grades - This discount can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
  • College Student - Any of your kids who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.

It's important to note that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only cut individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free auto insurance policy, you're out of luck.

To choose companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Idaho, click this link.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Auto insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. They all seem to make the same claim that you can save after switching your coverage to them. How does 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 the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential insureds who do not match these standards will have to pay more money which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can claim big savings. Because of the profiling, you need to get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Additional detailed information can be found at the Idaho Department of Insurance website. Idaho consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, discover disciplinary actions, and view agent and company licensing information.

Other informative sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this page where you can research Hayden Lake insurance agents.

auto insurance in Hayden Lake

Do the work, save more money

When trying to cut insurance costs, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased online as well as from independent agents in Hayden Lake, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies 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 to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from the least-expected company.