Tightwads Tips for Saving on Palatine Car Insurance

Are you sick and tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in Illinois.

You have so many to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have a choice, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to price shop coverage before your policy renews because rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best price a couple years back you may be paying too much now. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate how to use online quotes to buy cheaper car insurance.

Cheap Palatine Car Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways you can shop for car insurance but some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend your day talking to insurance agencies in Palatine, or you can stay home and use online quotes to achieve your goal.

All the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to complete one form, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on the submitted data. This eliminates the need for quote forms for each company you want a rate for.

To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The one downside to doing it this way is you are unable to specify which companies you want to price. So if you prefer to pick specific providers to compare rates, we have assembled a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Illinois. Click to view list.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just ensure you're using identical quote information for each price quote. If you enter mixed coverages you will not be able to truly determine the lowest rate in Palatine. Just a small difference in limits may result in large price differences. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing more company's prices helps locate the best offered rates.

Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper

It's important that you understand some of the elements that help determine your car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" that factor into rates.

Drive less and save money - Driving more miles every year the more you will pay for car insurance. The majority of insurers rate vehicles based on their usage. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your car insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage.
Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs such as lawyers, architects and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates in part from high stress and lengthy work days. Conversely, occupations like farmers, engineers and performers pay the least.
Your spouse saves you money - Having a spouse can get you a discount when buying car insurance. It usually means you are more mature it has been statistically shown that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Women pay lower rates - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
Better credit scores mean better rates - Credit history is a huge factor in your rate calculation. If your credit rating is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit scores.
Frequent car insurance claims increase rates - If you file claims often, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance companies in Illinois provide lower rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Little extras can really add up - There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can buy on your policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and membership fees are examples of these. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
How's your driving record? - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Just one speeding ticket may increase your cost by twenty percent. Drivers who have flagrant citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.

How much can you save with discounts?

Car insurance companies don't always publicize all their discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the harder-to-find car insurance savings.

New Car Discount - Insuring a new car can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
No Claims - Claim-free drivers can save substantially as compared to frequent claim filers.
Sign Online - Certain companies will give a small break just for signing your application over the internet.
One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags may earn rate discounts up to 30%.

Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn't work that way.

For a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Illinois, follow this link.

Additional detailed information can be found at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read industry bulletins, get help finding coverage, and learn about insurance regulations.

Shop smart and save

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never reduce needed coverages to save money. In many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price.

Affordable car insurance can be sourced from both online companies in addition to many Palatine insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies do not provide online quoting and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.