Easy Ways to Pay Less on Ridgefield Car Insurance

Are you intimidated by the sheer number of car insurance companies in Ridgefield? You have a lot of company. There are so many companies to choose from that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find the best price.

If you have a current car insurance policy or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to find better prices while maintaining coverages. This article will help educate you on how to get online quotes and some money-saving tips. Washington consumers only need to know the most efficient way to shop their coverage around over the internet.

More discounts equal less premium

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you can get discounts to cut the cost considerably. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about before you will receive the discount. If you aren't receiving every discount possible, you're paying more than you need to.

  • Payment Method - By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
  • Multiple Vehicles - Having multiple vehicles on the same car insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • Senior Citizens - Mature drivers may be able to get better car insurance rates.
  • Federal Government Employee - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with a few car insurance companies.
  • Distant Student - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
  • No Charge for an Accident - A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
  • Early Switch Discount - Some companies give discounts for buying a policy before your current expiration date. It's a savings of about 10%.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will reduce your premiums.

To see a list of insurance companies who offer car insurance discounts in Ridgefield, click here.

compare Ridgefield car insurance rates

Compare Quotes for Ridgefield Car Insurance

Most companies provide coverage prices online. Obtaining pricing is quite simple as you simply type in the coverages you want into the quote form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and gives you a price quote determined by many factors.

Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the process of having to visit different websites and enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, it is important to do this if you want to find a lower rate.

The preferred way to lower your rates makes use of a single form that gets prices from a bunch of companies at once. It's a real time-saver, requires much less work on your part, and makes quoting online much easier to do. After sending your information, it gets priced and you can select your choice of the price quotes you receive.

If you find a better price you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. The whole process takes less than 15 minutes and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

In order to find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and submit the form. To compare your current rates, we recommend you replicate the coverages as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a price comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" car insurance companies consider when setting prices.

  • Save money with special equipment - Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart auto theft.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - The deductibles define the amount you are required to spend before your car insurance pays a claim. Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply would be running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, or theft. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your car insurance will be.
  • Men pay higher rates - Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. Women and men cause accidents in similar percentages, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
  • Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Careers like lawyers, social workers and dentists tend to have the highest average rates due to high stress levels and lengthy work days. Other jobs such as actors, historians and performers receive lower rates.
  • Mature drivers pay less - Older insureds are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel. Youthful drivers are known to be more careless when behind the wheel and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
  • Performance level impacts rates - The performance level of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in your rates. Economy passenger models generally receive the lowest base rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers in Washington can't get away from ads that promise big savings by State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all have a common claim about savings after switching to their company.

How can each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a driver they prefer might be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has great credit. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who do not match the requirements will be quoted more money and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

In the end, you save

Drivers change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent, denial of a claim or high rates after DUI convictions. It doesn't matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company is actually quite simple.

The cheapest car insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood Ridgefield agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible at the best price while still protecting your assets.

Additional information can be found on the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website found here. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, and learn about insurance regulations.