How to Get Cheap Housatonic Car Insurance

Consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online could find finding cheap Housatonic car insurance is harder than they anticipated.

Buying the cheapest car insurance in Housatonic is simple if you know the tricks. Basically, everyone who is required by state law to have car insurance will be able to cut their insurance bill. But Massachusetts car owners do need to know how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and take advantage of how the system works.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically before being credited.

Safety Course Discount - Successfully completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
Accident Forgiveness - Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven't had any claims for a set time period.
Good Student - Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
Clubs and Organizations - Belonging to a qualifying organization may earn a discount when buying car insurance.
Auto/Home Discount - If you have multiple policies with the same company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
Seat Belt Usage - Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
Federal Employees - Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
Theft Prevention Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will bring down your overall premium however.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Don't get talked into coverage you don't need - There are quite a few additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Coverages for roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
How's your driving record? - Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. Even a single ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with dangerous tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to file a SR-22 with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
Men are more aggressive - Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets such as reckless driving.
Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Your policy's liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a best way to insure your cars. Every insured's situation is different.

These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation might need professional guidance.

Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
Are rental cars covered under my policy?

If you can't answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim that you'll save big if you change your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a profitable customer could be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has a high credit rating. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save when switching.

Consumers who fall outside these standards must pay higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That is how companies can state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers should compare many company's rates. Because you never know which company will have the lowest rates.

Additional Massachusetts consumer information

Much more information about car insurance in Massachusetts is available on the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website. Click here for link. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.

Do the work, save more money

Budget-conscious car insurance is attainable from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Housatonic, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the best prices are with a lesser-known regional company.

As you restructure your insurance plan, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.