How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Maywood

Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your checking account, especially in this economy. Comparing price quotes is a great way to help make ends meet. Big companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly blast consumers with ad campaigns and it is challenging if not impossible to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It's important to compare prices on a regular basis because prices are constantly changing. Just because you had the best price last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're about to find out the proper way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find better prices while maintaining coverages. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Maywood is quite easy. Illinois drivers only need an understanding of the proper methods to find the lowest price online.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

Teen drivers pay high rates - More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to get distracted easily when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
Are you male or female? - Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Both sexes cause accidents in similar percentages, but the males cause more damage. They also 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 auto insurance rates.
Poor credit can mean higher rates - Credit score is a important factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. Therefore, if your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit.
Car features impact rates - Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping auto theft.
Having a spouse can save you money - Having a spouse can actually save you money on auto insurance. It means you're more mature and responsible and it's proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Bundling policies can get discounts - Most insurance companies will give a discount to insureds who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, you still need to comparison shop to ensure the best deal.

Auto Insurance Prices in Maywood, Illinois

Comparing auto insurance rates can be a lot of work if you don't understand the best way to get rate quotes. You can spend your afternoon talking to local insurance agents in Maywood, or you could save time and use the web to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Most of the larger companies enroll in a system that enables customers to only type in their quote data once, and at least one company then gives them pricing for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each individual auto insurance company. To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

One minor caviat to using this type of system is that consumers can't choose which providers to receive prices from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to request quotes from, we have a listing of auto insurance companies in Illinois. Click here for list of insurance companies in Illinois.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverages and limits on every quote. If you use different deductibles it will be impossible to make a fair comparison in Maywood.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. A few discounts will automatically apply when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be asked for before they will apply. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

College Student - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car may be able to be covered for less.
Accident Waiver - A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims for a set time period.
Passive Restraint Discount - Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you may reduce your total bill.
Sign Online - A few companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing digitally online.
Theft Prevention Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

It's important to understand that some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce your premiums.

To choose companies offering auto insurance discounts in Maywood, click here.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Consumers in Illinois can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to have a common claim of big savings if you switch to their company.

How can each company claim to save you money?

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured might be between 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Consumers who don't measure up to the requirements will have to pay higher rates and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. This is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, you need to get as many quotes as possible. It's impossible to know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Additional auto insurance information can be found on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance located here. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, find out industry alerts, and view a list of available companies.

Best coverage at the best price

As you prepare to switch companies, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Low-cost auto insurance is available both online and also from your neighborhood Maywood agents, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

We covered a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a small local company. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as .