Free Guide to Saving Money on Sheffield Car Insurance Online

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced car insurance? Trust us, you are not the only one feeling buyer's remorse.

Popular companies such as GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with advertising and it can be hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to price shop coverage every six months due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best rates six months ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. You'll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about car insurance on the internet, so I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. Buying car insurance in Sheffield is quite easy. Nevertheless, Illinois consumers do need to know how companies market on the web.

Save big with these discounts

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, buy you may qualify for discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount.

  • Sign Online - Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing digitally online.
  • Memberships - Being a member of a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates on car insurance.
  • Seat Belts Save - Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
  • Federal Government Employee - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
  • Senior Citizens - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
  • Drivers Ed for Students - Have your child complete a driver education course in high school.
  • No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less as compared to bad drivers.
  • Life Insurance - Larger companies have better rates if you take out life insurance from them.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Sheffield, click here to view.

How to Compare Car Insurance in Sheffield, Illinois

There are several ways of comparing rates from car insurance companies in your area. The best method to find competitive insurance rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This can be done in several different ways.

  • The best way consumers can make multiple comparisons is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This easy form prevents you from having to do boring form submissions for each company. Filling out one form gets you coverage quotes from all major companies.
  • A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online consists of going to each individual company website to request a price quote. For instance, let's say you want to compare rates from , and . You would have to go to every website to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Sheffield, click here.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverages for each price quote. If you are comparing different limits and deductibles on each one it's impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Sheffield. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits may result in large price differences. Just remember that comparing more company's prices will improve the odds of getting lower pricing.

Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

The list below includes some of the items that factor into rates.

  • Pay less after the wedding - Getting married actually saves money on your policy. It usually means you are more mature and responsible and it's proven that being married results in fewer claims.
  • Protect your assets with liability insurance - The liability section of your policy provides coverage if ever you are found liable for damages caused by your negligence. It will provide you with a defense in court up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
  • Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates - Driving your car without having proper coverage is against the law and you will pay a penalty because you let your insurance lapse. Not only will you pay more, failure to provide proof of insurance can result in a revoked license or a big fine.
  • Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Jobs such as real estate brokers, business owners and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates because of job stress and long work hours. Other professions such as actors, historians and the unemployed pay the least.
  • Men fork out a little more - Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, don't assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. They also receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving.
  • You might want pay the small claims yourself - If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance companies in Illinois award cheaper rates to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive regularly use ads on TV and radio. They all seem to make an identical promise of big savings if you move your policy. How can each company claim to save you money?

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, has no driving citations, and has a high credit rating. Any driver who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Drivers who fall outside the requirements will have to pay higher premiums and ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That's the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

Cost effective car insurance is definitely available both online in addition to many Sheffield insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.

Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance located here. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, find out which companies have the most complaints, find a variety of consumer forms, and read industry bulletins.