Tightwads Tips for Saving on Port Charlotte Car Insurance

Paying for high-priced car insurance can dwindle your checking account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparison shopping is a great way to help make ends meet. You have so many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a few of the "ingredients" that factor into premiums.

  • Increase deductibles and save - The deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered would be colliding with a building, vandalism, or theft. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the bigger discount you will receive.
  • Men fork out a little more - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. However, don't assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes cause accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving.
  • Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Occupations such as lawyers, social workers and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates because of high stress levels and long work days. Conversely, jobs such as pilots, engineers and the unemployed pay the least.
  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in Florida tend to get distracted easily when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. If you've ever had to add a youthful driver onto your car insurance can be very expensive. More mature drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
  • Save money with special equipment - Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft devices like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all aid in stopping auto theft.

Free Quotes for Car Insurance in Port Charlotte, Florida

There are multiple methods to compare car insurance quotes, but one way is less time-consuming than others. You can spend your afternoon talking to agents in Port Charlotte, or you could save time and use the internet to quickly compare rates.

Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to only type in their quote data once, and every company returns a rated price for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each individual car insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

One minor caviat to using this type of form is you can't choose which providers you want pricing from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Florida. View list of Florida insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, make darn sure you compare identical coverages with each company. If you use different limits and deductibles on each one it will be impossible to make an equal comparison in Port Charlotte.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't always list all available discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

  • More Vehicles More Savings - Having multiple cars or trucks with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
  • Government Employees - Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
  • Student in College - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
  • Pay Upfront and Save - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
  • Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down can earn a substantially lower rate.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. 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 insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Florida, click here.

The car insurance bait and switch

Consumers in Florida can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings from companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you move your policy.

How does each company claim to save you money?

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the right customer that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer might be between the ages of 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to these standards must pay more money and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. This is how companies can truthfully state the savings. This illustrates why you need to get as many quotes as possible. You cannot predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn't really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone's needs are different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine whether or not you might need an agent's assistance.

  • Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
  • Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Port Charlotte?
  • Should I buy additional glass protection?
  • What can I do if my company won't pay a claim?
  • Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
  • Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?

If you can't answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Even more information can be found at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, learn about insurance regulations, read industry bulletins, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Port Charlotte car insurance comparison

A tidy conclusion

Cheaper car insurance is definitely available both online in addition to many Port Charlotte insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.