How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Car Insurance in Kendallville

Are you tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as many other Indiana drivers.

Because you have many choices, it's nearly impossible to find the cheapest company.

Buying car insurance in Kendallville is quite easy. If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to save some money using these methods. Nevertheless, Indiana consumers do need to know the way companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better car insurance rates.

The following are some of the factors used by your company to calculate premiums.

Protect your assets with liability insurance - Liability coverage will protect you if you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense coverage up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder auto theft.
Women pay lower rates - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Many insurance companies will award you with lower prices to insureds who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in Indiana are known to get distracted easily in a vehicle so car insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
Having a spouse can save you money - Being married can get you a discount on car insurance. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and responsible and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Things like roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Kendallville

There are several ways of comparing rates and find the best price. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This type of form prevents you from having to do separate quotes for each company. Taking the time to complete one form gets you price quotes instantly.
A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online requires visiting each individual company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, let's assume you want rates from , and . You would have to go to every website and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular.

To view a list of companies in Kendallville, click here.
The most time-consuming way to get comparison rates is to waste gas driving to insurance agents' offices. Shopping for car insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you require the professional guidance of a licensed agent. It is possible to find lower rates online and still use a local agent and you'll learn how to do that later.

Whichever method you choose, double check that you are using apples-to-apples quote information on every quote you get. If your comparisons have mixed coverages it will be impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Kendallville. Slightly different coverage limits can result in a big premium difference. It's important to know that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding the best offered rates.

Save big with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't always advertise all available discounts very well, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

Organization Discounts - Being a member of a professional or civic organization may earn a discount when buying car insurance.
Payment Method - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
One Accident Forgiven - Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven't had any claims for a certain period of time.
Anti-lock Brakes - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can reduce accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
Multiple Vehicles - Insuring multiple vehicles with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a home in Kendallville can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
Paperless Signup - Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing online.

Consumers should know that some credits don't apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, companies don't profit that way.

To choose insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Indiana, click here.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim of big savings after switching your coverage to them. But how can every company claim to save you money?

Different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" receives the best rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who fall outside this ideal profile must pay a higher premium and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do. This illustrates why you need to get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Indiana Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, view a list of available companies, learn about insurance regulations, and read consumer alerts.

Other informative sites include this link for Indiana car insurance quotes and this link which helps you find a Kendallville agent.

Final considerations

Cost effective car insurance can be sourced both online as well as from independent agents in Kendallville, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. Some car insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When shopping online for car insurance, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.