Easy Ways to Spend Less on Huntsville Car Insurance

Price shopping your Huntsville car insurance is hard for consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online. Drivers have so many options that it can be a lot of work to find lower rates in Huntsville.

It's important to check car insurance prices before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you're about to find out the fastest and easiest way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a few of the "ingredients" companies use to determine rates.

  • Please use or commuting - The more you drive every year the more you will pay for car insurance. Most companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars used primarily for pleasure use qualify for better rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your car insurance policy is rated on the correct driver usage.
  • Don't cancel a policy without a new one in place - Driving your car without having proper coverage is against the law and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.
  • Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Jobs such as lawyers, social workers and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates due to high stress levels and long work days. Other occupations such as farmers, historians and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
  • Better credit means lower rates - Credit rating is a big factor in your rate calculation. Drivers with good credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit score can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score.
  • Better crash test results mean better rates - Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
  • Bad driving skills means higher rates - Your driving citation history has a huge affect on how much you pay. Good drivers get better rates than people who have multiple driving citations. Even a single moving violation can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers who have severe citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be collision with another vehicle, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you're willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Big city or small town - Being located in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Fewer people means fewer accidents. Drivers who live in large Arkansas cities have much more traffic to deal with and longer commute times. More time commuting can result in more accidents.

Arkansas car insurance quotes

Comparison of Car Insurance in Huntsville

All major car insurance companies provide prices for coverage on their websites. Obtaining pricing is fairly straightforward as you just type in as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, the system will obtain your credit score and driving record and provides a quote.

Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the work required to visit different websites and complete many quote forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to perform this step if you want to find better car insurance pricing.

The preferred way to lower your car insurance bill makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, reduces the work, and makes quoting online much easier. After sending your information, it gets priced and you are able to buy your choice of the resulting price quotes. If you find a better price you can simply submit the application and purchase the new policy. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and you'll know if lower rates are available.

In order to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you type in your coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a price comparison for the exact same coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies offering auto insurance don't list all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.

  • Save with a New Car - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Seat Belt Usage - Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • Employee of Federal Government - Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
  • Passive Restraints - Factory air bags can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
  • Military Rewards - Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
  • Good Students Pay Less - This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply up to age 25.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

To choose companies with the best car insurance discounts in Huntsville, click here.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive regularly use ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you move to them. How can each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured might be between the ages of 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has great credit. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Consumers who are not a match for the requirements will have to pay higher prices and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, you need to get as many quotes as possible. You cannot predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Even more information can be found at the Arkansas Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find a variety of consumer forms, and read industry bulletins.

Affordable insurance is out there

As you prepare to switch companies, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price.

Drivers who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including delays in paying claims, being labeled a high risk driver, high rates after DUI convictions or even poor customer service. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new car insurance company is easier than you think.

We just presented a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a small mutual company.