How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Car Insurance in Robertsdale

Are you tired of not being able to afford each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with advertising and it is difficult to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to get lower rates while maintaining coverages. Finding the best rates in Robertsdale is easy if you know what you're doing. Alabama vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to shop for car insurance on the web.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.

Shown below are some of the items companies use to determine prices.

Always keep insurance in force - Driving your car without having proper coverage is against the law and as a result your rates will increase for letting your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, failure to provide proof of insurance will get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
Your stress level may be raising your rates - Careers like real estate brokers, executives and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates because of stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. Other occupations such as farmers, historians and retirees have the lowest average rates.
High crash test scores lower rates - Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Teen drivers pay high rates - Mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted in a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - A bad driving record has a huge affect on how much you pay. Good drivers have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Only having one ticket can increase rates by twenty percent. If you have dangerous violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find they need to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
Bundling policies can get discounts - Some car insurance companies provide better rates to insureds who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can add up to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even though this discount sounds good, you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal. Drivers may still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
Liability coverage is peace of mind - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you when you are found liable for damages from an accident. Liability provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.

Comparison of Car Insurance in Robertsdale

All major car insurance companies give prices for coverage online. Obtaining pricing is fairly straightforward as you simply type in as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, the system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and quotes a price determined by many factors. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit many different websites and complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. But it's very important to do this in order to get better car insurance pricing.

The preferred way to lower your car insurance bill makes use of a single form to obtain quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes online quotes a lot less work. After sending your information, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the resulting price quotes. If a lower price is quoted, it's easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

In order to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you input the coverage information identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will have a fair comparison for the exact same coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies that sell car insurance don't always list every discount in a way that's easy to find, so the following is a list of both the well known as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance. If you aren't receiving every discount available, you are paying more than you should be.

Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
Accident Free - Claim-free drivers pay less when compared to accident-prone drivers.
Low Mileage Discounts - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
Save with a New Car - Adding a new car to your policy can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
Discount for Swiching Early - Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. The savings is around 10%.
Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
Multiple Cars - Buying coverage for all your vehicles with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Drivers Ed for Students - Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don't profit that way.

To choose insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Robertsdale, click this link.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Consumers in Alabama can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all make the same claim that you'll save big if you change to them.

How can each company claim to save you money?

All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. A good example of a driver they prefer might be a mature driver, is a homeowner, and has great credit. Any driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who are not a match for the requirements will be quoted more money which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. That's why companies can advertise the savings. This emphasizes why you need to get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

More detailed Alabama car insurance information can be read at the Alabama Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, read industry bulletins, find disaster information, and view a list of available companies.

Best coverage at the best price

Discount car insurance is attainable both online and with local Robertsdale insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not offer online price quotes and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.