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

Have you had enough of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? You are no different than many other North Carolina drivers.

Numerous battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it's not easy to compare every to find the lowest price

If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Finding the best rates in Matthews is easy if you know what you're doing. But North Carolina car owners do need to know the way companies market on the web.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be applied at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied in order for you to get them.

Lower Rates for Military - Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
Claim Free - Claim-free drivers pay less when compared with drivers who are more careless.
Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a home in Matthews may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home demonstrates responsibility.
Good Students Pay Less - Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
Clubs and Organizations - Belonging to certain professional organizations could trigger savings when buying car insurance.
Student Driver Training - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver's education in high school.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Pay Upfront and Save - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts will cut the cost of coverage.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

The list below includes some of the items used by your company to calculate premiums.

Choose a safe vehicle and save - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
A lapse in coverage is a bad thing - Driving with no insurance is illegal and as a result your rates will increase for letting your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Occupations such as real estate brokers, executives and accountants have higher rates than average in part from stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, occupations such as farmers, athletes and the unemployed get better rates.
Bump up deductibles to save - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, insures against damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, vandalism, and windstorm damage. The more expense you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
How's your driving record? - Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Only having one ticket can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers with severe tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
Liability coverage is peace of mind - The liability section of your policy will protect you if you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
High numbers of claims are not good - If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Auto insurance companies in North Carolina give better rates to people who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.

How can 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm save drivers who switch?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm regularly use ads on television and other media. All the companies make the same claim that you'll save big if you move your coverage to them. How do they all make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Potential insureds who are not a match for the "perfect" profile must pay more money which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That's why companies can advertise the way they do.

This illustrates why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Learn more today

Much more information about car insurance in North Carolina can be read on the website for the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can find disaster information, find a variety of consumer forms, read industry bulletins, and report car insurance fraud.

Affordable insurance is out there

Discount car insurance is definitely available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Matthews, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just showed you some good ideas how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as .