Free Guide to Spending Less for Ridgeway Auto Insurance Online

Tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than millions of other consumers.

There are many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have multiple companies, it makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to check auto insurance prices once or twice a year because prices are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best price a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we're going to demonstrate how to quote online to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

This article will instruct you on how to effectively get price quotes. If you have car insurance now, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. But South Carolina consumers do need to know the methods companies use to market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. Most are applied when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be asked about before they will apply.

Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Ridgeway may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
Drivers Education - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course if offered at their school.
Drive Less and Save - Low mileage vehicles can earn better rates on cars that stay parked.
Sign Online - Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
Good Students Pay Less - Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
Save with a New Car - Adding a new car to your policy is cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Accident Free - Claim-free drivers can save substantially as compared to drivers who are more careless.
Multiple Cars - Having all your vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will bring down your premiums.

What determines how much you pay?

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" companies use to determine rates.

Being married can save on auto insurance - Having a spouse helps lower the price on your auto insurance policy. It is viewed as being more mature than a single person and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Car features impact rates - Driving a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices such as GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Extra coverages can waste money - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can buy when buying auto insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing coverage and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but if you don't need them eliminate them to save money.
Men are more aggressive - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are better drivers. Women and men cause accidents in similar percentages, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving.
Low deductibles can be expensive - Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be a windshield shattered by a rock, damage caused by hail, and burglary. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The higher the amount you're willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates - Not having insurance is against the law and as a result your rates will increase for letting your coverage have a gap. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance will get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.Then you may be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the South Carolina DMV.
Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - If you frequently file small claims, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance companies in South Carolina give lower rates to people who file claims infrequently. Auto insurance is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive consistently run ads in print and on television. They all seem to make the same claim that you'll save big if you change to them. How does each company claim to save you money?

All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured might be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when switching.

Consumers who don't measure up to these standards will have to pay higher rates which leads to the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save money. That's why companies can advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It's impossible to know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More South Carolina auto insurance information

Much more information about auto insurance in South Carolina can be found on the website for the South Carolina Department of Insurance located here. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, view a list of available companies, discover disciplinary actions, and learn about insurance regulations.

Final considerations

Budget-conscious auto insurance is attainable both online and with local Ridgeway insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some auto insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

We covered many ideas to reduce auto insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as .