Free Guide to Spending Less for Helena Car Insurance Online

Are you tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as many other Arkansas consumers.

Because you have many online and local companies to choose from, it can be challenging to pick the lowest price company.

It's important to shop coverage around before your policy renews because rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you're about to learn one of the easiest ways to buy cheaper car insurance.

Choosing the best insurance company for you in Helena is not that difficult. If you have car insurance now, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. Although Arkansas car owners do need to know the methods companies use to determine prices and apply this information to your search.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't always list all their discounts very well, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving.

New Car Discount - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Claim Free - Claim-free drivers can save substantially as compared to bad drivers.
Lower Rates for Military - Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
Anti-lock Brakes - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags can receive discounts of 20% or more.
Drive Less and Save - Keeping the miles down can earn a substantially lower rate.
Driver's Ed - Have your child complete a driver education course in high school.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, you won't be that lucky.

To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Arkansas, click here.

How to Compare Helena Car Insurance Rates

There are multiple methods you can shop for car insurance and some are easier and takes less work. You can waste a lot of time talking to agents in Helena, or you can stay home and use online quotes to get the quickest rates.

Many insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to complete one form, and each company then returns a price quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each individual car insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The one downside to pricing coverage this way is that you can't choose which carriers you want to price. So if you prefer to pick specific providers for rate comparison, we put together a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Arkansas. View list of Arkansas insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you're using apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits with every price quote. If your comparisons have different values for each quote you will not be able to find the best deal in Helena. Slightly different coverages may result in large price differences. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing more company's prices provides better odds of finding better pricing.

Tips to Get Lower Helena Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

The list below includes a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

Drive less and save money - The more you drive every year the more you will pay for car insurance. Almost all companies rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars left parked in the garage qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Make sure your car insurance policy properly reflects the correct driver usage.
Rates may be lower depending on your job - Jobs such as lawyers, social workers and stock brokers have the highest rates in part from high stress levels and lengthy work days. On the other hand, jobs such as farmers, students and the unemployed get better rates.
Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder auto theft.
High credit ratings translate to low rates - Credit rating is a huge factor in your rate calculation. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than drivers who have lower credit scores. Therefore, if your credit rating can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by improving your rating.
How's your driving record? - Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Even a single moving violation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who have severe citations like DUI or reckless driving may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
Safer occupants lowers premiums - Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
Too many car insurance claims drive up costs - If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance companies in Arkansas generally give discounts to insureds who do not file claims often. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Bump up deductibles to save - Physical damage coverage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, and burglary. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.

The car insurance bait and switch

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you move your coverage to them. But how can every company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" receives the best rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don't measure up to this ideal profile will have to pay a more expensive rate and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. Because you never know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

We just showed you a lot of ways to compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as .

Even more information can be found at the Arkansas Insurance Department website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read industry bulletins, view a list of available companies, and find out industry alerts.

Additional helpful sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this page where you can research Helena insurance agents.