Best Way to Find Cheaper Howard Car Insurance

Are you intimidated by the wide range of car insurance choices in Howard? You're not the only one! There are so many options available that it can turn into a real challenge to compare prices.

It's important to shop coverage around every six months due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best rates a few years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is a lot of bad information regarding car insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to reduce your car insurance bill.

If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Locating the cheapest coverage in Howard can be fairly easy. South Dakota vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to get comparison quotes online.

Tips to Get Lower Howard Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - Physical damage insurance, 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, vandalism, and windstorm damage. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The more expense you have to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
  • Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Most insurers will give a discount to insureds who carry more than one policy. It's known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, you still need to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by buying insurance from more than one company.
  • Battle of the sexes - Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. They both tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage. They also receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
  • High credit ratings translate to low rates - Credit score is a important factor in calculating your car insurance rates. So if your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could save money insuring your by repairing your credit. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with poor credit.
  • High numbers of claims are not good - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Car insurance companies in South Dakota award better rates to people who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is intended for the large, substantial claims.

Howard car insurance comparison

How to Compare Car Insurance in Howard, South Dakota

Reducing your insurance rates is surprisingly easy. Just take a couple of minutes comparing price quotes provided by online insurance companies. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

  1. The fastest way to find low rates is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This easy form eliminates the need for separate quotes to each individual car insurance company. Filling out one form compares rates instantly. This is perfect if you don't have a lot of time.
  2. A slightly less efficient method to compare rate quotes is going to each company's website and request a quote. For examples sake, let's say you want to compare rates from , and . To find out each rate you need to take the time to go to each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular.

    To view a list of companies in Howard, click here.

It's up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing the exact same coverage limits and deductibles with every price quote. If you use different liability limits it's not possible to find the best deal in Howard.

Take advantage of discounts

Car insurance companies don't list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of both the well known as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using. If they aren't giving you 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.
  • Multi-car Discount - Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Theft Prevention System - Cars that have factory anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
  • Defensive Driver - Taking part in a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
  • Student Driver Training - Cut your cost by having your teen driver complete a driver education course in school.
  • Lower Rates for Military - Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
  • Payment Discounts - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
  • Anti-lock Brake System - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • College Student - Kids in college living away from home attending college and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don't profit that way.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in Howard, click here to view.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Consumers in South Dakota 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 an identical promise that you'll save big if you switch your coverage to them.

How do they all claim to save you money?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a desirable insured might be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and most likely will cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who don't qualify for the "perfect" profile will have to pay a more expensive rate and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That's the way companies can advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, you need to compare as many rates as you can. You cannot predict which car insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More detailed South Dakota car insurance information can be read at the South Dakota Division of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, report car insurance fraud, and read consumer alerts.

Best coverage at the best price

When shopping online for car insurance, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Discount car insurance can be found both online as well as from independent agents in Howard, so compare prices from both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

People switch companies for a number of reasons such as not issuing a premium refund, lack of trust in their agent, policy cancellation or even denial of a claim. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new insurance company is easier than you think.