Easy Ways to Spend Less on Skokie Auto Insurance

Are you overwhelmed by the wide range of auto insurance company choices in Skokie? Lot's of other consumers are too. Drivers have so many options that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find better rates.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies offering auto insurance don't always advertise all available discounts very clearly, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If you're not getting every credit possible, you're paying more than you need to.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
Memberships - Participating in a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance.
Discount for New Cars - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
No Charge for an Accident - Certain companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven't had any claims for a set time period.
Anti-lock Brake System - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

To see a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Illinois, click here to view.

Comprehensive Skokie Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes

Most companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm provide coverage price quotes on their websites. This process doesn't take a lot of time as you just enter the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the company's rating system will obtain your driving record and credit report and generates a price.

Being able to quote online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to different websites and fill out multiple forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to perform this step if you want to find the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to find better auto insurance pricing uses one form that gets prices from many companies. The form is fast, requires less work, and makes quoting online much simpler. Once the form is submitted, it gets priced and you are able to buy any one of the price quotes you receive. If you find a better price you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and you'll know if lower rates are available.

To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you type in the insurance coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a price comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

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

Safer occupants lowers premiums - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. Safe vehicles have better occupant injury protection and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
Car features impact rates - Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart car theft.
Liability coverage protects you - The liability section of your policy provides coverage if a court rules you are at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
Mature drivers pay less - Teen drivers in Illinois tend to get distracted easily when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older insureds are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
Sex matters - Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. However, don't assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes are in accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
Better credit scores mean better rates - A driver's credit rating is a big factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit ratings. If your credit history can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
Please use or commuting - The more you drive in a year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage.

How can 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm save drivers who switch?

Illinois consumers can't get away from ads that promise big savings from companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make an identical promise about savings if you move your policy.

How does each company make almost identical claims? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has a high credit rating. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Consumers who are not a match for these standards must pay higher rates and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way companies can truthfully state the savings. This illustrates why drivers must get as many quotes as possible. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

A tidy conclusion

Cheap auto insurance is possible online in addition to many Skokie insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

People who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, unfair underwriting practices, questionable increases in premium or not issuing a premium refund. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new auto insurance company is actually quite simple.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Find out more about auto insurance

Even more information can be read at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois consumers can find disaster information, view a list of available companies, and find out which companies have the most complaints.