Tightwads Guide to Saving on Shawnee Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced auto insurance? Trust us, you're not alone. Since consumers have many auto insurance companies to choose from, it's nearly impossible to pick the lowest price car insurance company.

It's important to shop coverage around every six months since insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best rates on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding auto insurance online but I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

Finding affordable coverage in Shawnee is easy if you know what you're doing. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. Oklahoma vehicle owners just need to know the proper way to compare company rates on the web.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies don't list all their discounts very well, so the following is a list of some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If you don't get every credit possible, you're paying more than you need to.

Senior Discount - Mature drivers may receive a small decrease in premiums.
Memberships - Affiliation with a professional or civic organization may earn a discount on auto insurance.
Safety Course Discount - Taking part in a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Bundle and Save - When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
Claim Free - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less as compared to bad drivers.
Life Insurance Discount - Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
No Charge for an Accident - Some insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don't have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Federal Government Employee - Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount with select insurance companies.
Driver's Ed - Have your child complete a driver education course if offered at their school.
Pay Now and Pay Less - By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.

Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn't make money that way.

To see a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in Oklahoma, click here.

Compare Quotes for Shawnee Auto Insurance

There are several ways to compare auto insurance prices but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with insurance companies in Shawnee, or you could use online quoting to get the quickest rates.

Many insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and each participating company then gives them pricing for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you cannot specify which carriers to receive prices from. If you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to compare rates, we have a page of companies who write auto insurance in Oklahoma. Click here to view list.

However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples coverage limits on every quote you get. If you use differing limits you can't possibly determine which rate is truly the best in Shawnee.

Tips to Get Lower Shawnee Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Shown below are some of the items used by your company to calculate rates.

Mature drivers pay less - Teenage drivers in Oklahoma have a tendency to be more careless when behind the wheel so auto insurance rates are higher. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and are safer drivers.
Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Your policy's liability coverage provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
Little extras can really add up - There are quite a few extra coverages that you can buy if you aren't careful. Things like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem like a good idea initially, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
More than one policy can earn a discount - Some insurance companies will give a discount to people who have multiple policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it's still a good idea to compare rates to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still find a better deal by buying insurance from more than one company.
Your stress level may be raising your rates - Jobs such as real estate brokers, social workers and stock brokers have the highest rates due to stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, occupations like actors, students and retirees get better rates.
Please use or commuting - The higher the mileage driven in a year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based on how the vehicle is used. Cars not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your auto insurance declarations sheet properly reflects the correct usage for each vehicle.

Is there truth in advertising?

Oklahoma drivers can't get away from ads that promise big savings from the likes of Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to have a common claim that you'll save big if you change your coverage to them.

But how can every company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between 25 and 40, has no driving citations, and has great credit. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save a lot of money.

Drivers who don't measure up to this ideal profile will have to pay a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way companies can advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

And the best car insurance company is...

When you buy insurance online, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at the best price.

Budget-conscious auto insurance is attainable on the web as well as from independent agents in Shawnee, so you should compare both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who don't offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

Learn more about Oklahoma auto insurance

More detailed Oklahoma auto insurance information can be read at the Oklahoma Insurance Department website. Oklahoma drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, and read consumer alerts.

Additional helpful sites include this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of insurance agents in Shawnee.