How to Know You're Wasting Money for Auto Insurance in Richton Park

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced auto insurance? Trust us, many Richton Park consumers feel financially strained by their auto insurance policy. Since consumers have many companies and agents to choose from, it's difficult to choose the best provider.

It's important to do rate comparisons every six months because insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best deal a year ago you may be paying too much now. So just block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you're about to learn the only way to remove unneeded coverages and save money.

How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Richton Park, Illinois

Most major insurance companies provide pricing online. Getting online rates is pretty easy as you simply enter the coverages you want into the quote form. Behind the scenes, the company's rating system will obtain your credit score and driving record and generates a price based on many factors. This makes comparing rates easy, but the time required to go to several different sites and fill out multiple forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to get many rate quotes if you want to find a lower rate.

Quote rates the easy way

A less time-consuming method to lower your rates uses one simple form to return rates from more than one company. It's a real time-saver, reduces the work, and makes comparison shopping much simpler. After your information is entered, it gets priced and you can choose any or none of the returned quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you'll know if lower rates are available.

To save time and find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and enter your information. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you replicate the limits and deductibles identical to your current policy. This way, you are getting comparison quotes based on similar coverages.

Why some people pay less for insurance in Richton Park

It's important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.

How many coverages with the same company - Most companies give discounts to customers who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's in your best interest to shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still be able to find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
Do you know your deductibles? - Physical damage coverage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims could be running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, and burglary. Your deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. The more money you're willing to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
Your credit rating is important - Your credit score is a huge factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit history is lower than you'd like, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have poor credit.
Traffic violations increase rates - Your driving record has a big impact on rates. Even a single speeding ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Drivers who get serious violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
Extra coverages can waste money - There are many extra coverages you can purchase on your auto insurance policy. Things like personal injury protection, better glass coverage and motor club memberships are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but if you don't need them remove them from your policy.
Battle of the sexes - Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Women and men cause accidents at about the same rate, but men cause more damage. Men also get cited for more serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.

More discounts equal less premium

Auto insurance companies don't list every available discount very well, so here is a list both well-publicized and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings. If you don't get every credit possible, you're just leaving money on the table.

Anti-theft Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle on one policy qualifies for this discount.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of 20% or more.
Defensive Driver - Completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
Save over 55 - Older drivers may qualify for reduced rates.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

For a list of providers offering auto insurance discounts in Illinois, follow this link.

Even more information is available at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois consumers can read consumer alerts, report car insurance fraud, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about a company.

Other useful links include BankRate.com's Car Insurance: When not to Skimp and this Richton Park agent directory.

A tidy conclusion

While you're price shopping online, don't be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. Too many times, someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. The aim is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheap auto insurance can be found online and with local Richton Park insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies do not offer online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

In this article, we presented a lot of tips how to lower your auto insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from a smaller regional carrier. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as .