Free Guide to Spending Less for Seatac Car Insurance Online

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me when I say many Seatac consumers feel financially strained by their car insurance policy. There is such a variety of to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to be able to choose, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates.

It's important to get comparison quotes at least once a year since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the lowest price a few years ago you can probably find a better price now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

This information will tell you the best way to quote coverages and some money-saving tips. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Washington vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to shop their coverage around online.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into rates.

  • Lower miles equals lower premium - The more miles you rack up on your car in a year the more you will pay for car insurance. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your car insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are many extra coverages that you can buy when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing coverage and membership fees are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
  • Poor driving leads to higher costs - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Just one ticket may increase your cost forty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
  • Marriage brings a discount - Having a wife or husband can actually save you money when buying car insurance. It usually means you are more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
  • Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Jobs such as judges, architects and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates in part from stressful work requirements and long work days. Conversely, jobs such as actors, engineers and homemakers pay the least.
  • Drive a safer car and pay less - Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. These vehicles have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
  • With age comes lower rates - Youthful drivers in Washington are statistically proven to be more careless when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.

Washington car insurance quotes

More discounts equal less premium

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but companies offer discounts that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to getting the savings. If you're not getting every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Discount for Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance.
  • Defensive Driver - Successfully completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
  • Discount for Good Grades - This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
  • No Charge for an Accident - Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims for a set time period.
  • Save with a New Car - Adding a new car to your policy can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Federal Government Employee - Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
  • Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
  • No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less as compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Drive Less and Save - Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Drivers Education - Cut your cost by having your teen driver complete a driver education course in school.

Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. 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.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in Washington, follow this link.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers in Washington can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing that you'll save big if you switch your policy.

How does each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that makes them money. For instance, a desirable insured might be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any new insured who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match these standards will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way companies can make the claims of big savings.

Because of the profiling, you should get as many quotes as possible. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Find out more about car insurance

Much more information about car insurance in Washington is located on the website for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Click here for link. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, and get help finding coverage.

car insurance in Seatac

A tidy conclusion

As you shop your coverage around, never buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped liability coverage limits only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price.

Budget-conscious car insurance is available both online in addition to many Seatac insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

We just covered a lot of information how to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as .