Easy Methods to Pay Less on North Chicago Auto Insurance

Are you intimidated by the sheer number of auto insurance company choices in North Chicago? Many other drivers are as well. There are so many options that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find better rates.

It's important to price shop coverage every six months since insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the lowest rates six months ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because it's time to teach you the tricks you need to know to lower your annual insurance bill.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies do not advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

Sign Online - Certain companies give back up to $50 just for signing your application on their website.
Homeowners Discount - Owning a house in North Chicago can save you money because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Discount for Good Grades - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Memberships - Affiliation with certain professional organizations may earn a discount on auto insurance.
No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially as compared to bad drivers.

Keep in mind that some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn't work that way.

To see a list of companies offering auto insurance discounts in North Chicago, click here.

Compare Quotes for North Chicago Auto Insurance

Most companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive allow you to get coverage price quotes online. Getting online quotes doesn't take a lot of time as you just type in the coverages you want as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on these and other factors.

Quoting online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the process of having to visit a lot of sites and fill out multiple forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to have as many quotes as possible in order to find the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to lower your rates requires only one form that gets price quotes from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes quoting online much easier to do. Once the form is submitted, it is rated and you can choose any of the price quotes you receive. If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes and may save quite a bit of money.

To quickly find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. To compare your current rates, we recommend you enter the coverages as shown on your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a fair comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" that factor into rates.

Having a spouse can save you money - Having a spouse can actually save you money on auto insurance. It usually means you are more mature and it's proven that being married results in fewer claims.
Do you know your deductibles? - Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are a windshield shattered by a rock, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the less your auto insurance will be.
A clean driving record saves money - Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Just one moving violation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
Do you have enough liability coverage? - Liability insurance provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides for a legal defense starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs such as lawyers, social workers and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average because of high stress and lengthy work days. On the flip side, occupations such as actors, athletes and homemakers pay the least.
An active claims history can cost you - Car insurance companies in Illinois generally give better rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.

How can State Farm, GEICO and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you switch your policy. How do they all say the same thing?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile will have to pay a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way insurance companies can state the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers must compare many company's rates. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

Affordable auto insurance is available on the web in addition to many North Chicago insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from the least-expected company.

Drivers switch companies for a number of reasons such as an unsatisfactory settlement offer, lack of trust in their agent, poor customer service or questionable increases in premium. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company is actually quite simple.

Additional detailed information can be found at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois drivers can get help finding coverage, report car insurance fraud, and file complaints about a company.