Getting the Cheapest Lumber City Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, there are lots of people in the same boat.

Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive increase brand awareness with ad campaigns and it is difficult to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't list all available discounts in a way that's easy to find, so the following is a list of both well-publicized as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

Clubs and Organizations - Participating in a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
Defensive Driver - Taking part in a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
Theft Prevention System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less when compared with drivers who are more careless.
No Charge for an Accident - A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven't had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don't apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

Is there truth in advertising?

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you switch your policy. How can each company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A customer getting a price quote that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't measure up to the requirements must pay a higher premium and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way companies can truthfully claim big savings. This illustrates why you should get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Find out more about auto insurance

Even more information can be read at the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Georgia consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, read consumer alerts, and view a list of available companies.

Final considerations

Cheap auto insurance can be found online in addition to many Lumber City insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. A few companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, it's not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.