Tightwads Tips for Saving on Rensselaer Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced car insurance? Trust us, you're not alone. You have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to have a choice, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Choosing the best insurance company for you in Rensselaer is quite easy. If you have car insurance now, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Indiana drivers only need an understanding of the most efficient way to find the lowest price online.

Compare Quotes for Rensselaer Car Insurance

There are multiple methods to compare car insurance prices but one way is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with agents in Rensselaer, or you could use online quotes to quickly compare rates.

All the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to send in one quote, and each participating company provides a quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to each individual car insurance company. To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The single downside to doing it this way is you can't choose which companies to get quotes from. If you prefer to choose specific providers for rate comparison, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in Indiana. Click here for list of insurance companies in Indiana.

However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing identical coverages and limits for each price quote. If your comparisons have different deductibles you can't possibly truly determine the lowest rate in Rensselaer.

compare Rensselaer car insurance rates

Tips to Get Lower Rensselaer Rates

It's important that you understand the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate prices.

  • Theft deterrents lower rates - Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can thwart auto theft.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - The deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, or theft. The more you have to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
  • Poor driving leads to higher costs - A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than bad drivers. Even a single citation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. If you have serious violations like DUI or reckless driving may find they need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
  • Older drivers save more - Youthful drivers in Indiana are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.
  • Please use or commuting - The more miles you rack up on your car in a year the higher your rate. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars left parked in the garage receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Make sure your car insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are many extra coverages that can waste your money when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem good initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't always list every discount very clearly, so we researched both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If you're not getting every credit possible, you're just leaving money on the table.

  • Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
  • Homeowners Discount - Simply owning a home can save you money because owning a home shows financial diligence.
  • Discount for Good Grades - Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
  • Distant Student - Youth drivers who are attending college and do not have a car may be able to be covered for less.
  • Life Insurance Discount - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
  • Defensive Driver - Completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
  • Passive Restraints - Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.

It's important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, it doesn't quite work that way.

For a list of insurance companies offering car insurance discounts in Indiana, click here.

More tips and info about car insurance is located at the Indiana Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

In the end, you save

Low-cost car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Rensselaer, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies don't offer online quoting and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

We just covered a lot of techniques to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a small mutual company. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as .