Tightwads Guide to Saving on Nichols Auto Insurance

Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can overdraw your savings account and force you to make sacrifices. Comparison shopping is a great way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket. Because you have many choices, it's nearly impossible to find the lowest price insurance company.

Buying car insurance in Nichols is not that difficult. If you have car insurance now, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. South Carolina consumers only need to know the proper way to get comparison rates on the web.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" that factor into prices.

  • Your stress level may be raising your rates - Careers like lawyers, social workers and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates in part from high stress levels and lengthy work days. On the other hand, professions such as pilots, students and retirees pay the least.
  • Having a spouse can save you money - Having a spouse helps lower the price on auto insurance. Having a significant other usually means you are more responsible it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
  • Extra coverages can waste money - There are quite a few add-on coverages that can waste your money if you aren't careful. Things like roadside assistance, accident forgiveness and membership fees are some examples. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but your needs may have changed so remove them from your policy.
  • Multiple policies with one company can save - Some insurance companies provide better rates to people who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's in your best interest to comparison shop to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.
  • Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - Companies in South Carolina generally give discounts to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can expect either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.
  • Traffic citations inflate rates - Even one moving violation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. If you have dangerous violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.

Which Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Nichols, South Carolina?

Reducing your insurance rates is not a difficult process. You just have to invest a little time comparing rates online from several insurance companies. This can be accomplished in several different ways.

  1. The fastest way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do separate quotation requests for every auto insurance company. One form submission will get you price quotes from auto insurance companies with the best prices.
  2. A less efficient way to get quotes online requires a visit to the website of each company to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, let's assume you want comparison quotes from , and . To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to input your insurance information, and that's why the first method is more popular.

    To view a list of companies in Nichols, click here.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples coverage limits on every quote you get. If you have differing limits it will be very difficult to determine which rate is truly the best in Nichols.

Save big with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't always advertise every discount very well, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you don't get every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

  • No Claims - Drivers who don't have accidents can save substantially when compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Paperwork-free - Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy online.
  • Safety Course Discount - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Driver's Ed - Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
  • Government Employees - Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% with a few auto insurance companies.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of 20% or more.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won't be that lucky.

To choose insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in South Carolina, click here.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

South Carolina drivers can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all have a common claim about savings if you change your policy.

But how can every company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

All companies have a preferred profile for the right customer that makes them money. For example, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get very good rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who fall outside this ideal profile will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. The ads say "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. This emphasizes why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Even more information can be found at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. South Carolina drivers can read industry bulletins, get help finding coverage, discover disciplinary actions, and read consumer alerts.

Other informative sites include this online resource for auto insurance quotes in South Carolina and this list of insurance agents in Nichols.

In the end, you save

The cheapest auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Nichols insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. A few companies do not provide online price quotes and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.