Top Ways to Save on Reform Auto Insurance

Expensive auto insurance can overdraw your savings account, especially in this economy. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to cut your insurance bill. There are many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have a choice, it makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to check auto insurance prices on a regular basis because prices are constantly changing. Just because you had the best deal two years ago you may be paying too much now. So ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're going to get a crash course in the only way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

Which Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Reform, Alabama?

There are several ways to compare auto insurance quotes, and some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend your day driving to insurance companies in Reform, or you could use the web to achieve your goal.

All the larger companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and each participating company then gives them pricing based on the submitted data. This saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to doing it this way is you cannot specify which companies you want pricing from. So if you want to choose individual companies to compare rates, we put together a list of companies who write auto insurance in Alabama. Click here for list of insurance companies in Alabama.

It's up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing identical coverages and limits for each price quote. If you enter different deductibles you can't possibly truly determine the lowest rate in Reform.

What determines how much you pay?

It's important that you understand the different types of things that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

Listed below are some of the factors companies use to determine rates.

Pay less if you're married - Being married can actually save you money on your policy. It is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Are you male or female? - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Men and women have accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage. They also receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.
Careful drivers pay lower rates - Just one speeding ticket can increase rates by twenty percent. Good drivers get better rates than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
High deductibles save money - Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims could be collision with another vehicle, collision with an animal, or theft. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. The more money you're willing to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
Better credit means lower rates - Credit score is a big factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit history is lower than you'd like, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers with good credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have poor credit.
Safe vehicles cost less to insure - Safer cars can get you lower premiums. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower injury rates translates into savings for insurance companies and thus lower rates.

How much can you save with discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance do not list all their discounts very clearly, so here is a list both well-publicized and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you're just leaving money on the table.

Sign Online - Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy over the internet.
Accident Waiver - Certain companies allow you one accident without raising rates as long as you don't have any claims for a certain period of time.
Good Student Discount - Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
Own a Home - Owning a house in Reform can help you save on auto insurance because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
Early Signing - Some companies give discounts for switching policies before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
Discount for New Cars - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

For a list of companies offering auto insurance discounts in Alabama, click here to view.

Even more information is available at the Alabama Department of Insurance website. Alabama consumers can get help finding coverage, learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and report car insurance fraud.

In the end, you save

Cheap auto insurance is available online and with local Reform insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer online quoting and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

You just read some good ideas how you can lower your auto insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with a small mutual company. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like .

When buying insurance coverage, never reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.