How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Stockton

Expensive auto insurance can overdraw your bank account and make it hard to pay other bills. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to lower your monthly bill. Insurance companies such as GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with fancy advertisements and it can be hard to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

Save big with these discounts

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you can get discounts that many people don't even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you get a quote, but a few must be asked for before you will receive the discount. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

Payment Discounts - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
Accident Waiver - A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
Multiple Policy Discount - When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Use Seat Belts - Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
Government Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount with a few auto insurance companies.

It's important to note that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you're out of luck. But any discount will reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurance companies offering auto insurance discounts in Stockton, follow this link.

How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Stockton, Illinois

Finding cheaper auto insurance prices can be quick and easy. You just have to invest a few minutes comparing rates online from several insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

The best way to get quotes for comparison is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This method prevents you from having to do separate forms to each individual auto insurance company. One form submission compares rates from several companies.
A harder way to get quotes online is going to the website of each company to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let's say you want comparison quotes from , and . To find out each rate you need to spend time on each company's site and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker. To view a list of companies in Stockton, click here.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If you enter different liability limits then you won't be able to truly determine the lowest rate in Stockton.

Stockton Rates are Influenced by These Factors

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to big savings.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting prices.

Theft deterrents lower rates - Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
Battle of the sexes - Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. They both tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Young males are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
Bundling policies can get discounts - Most companies provide better rates to people who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even with this discount, it's still a good idea to compare rates to ensure the best deal.
Never go without insurance - Letting your insurance expire is a quick way to bump up your auto insurance costs. Not only will you pay more, but not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a steep fine or even jail time.
Your job and insurance rates - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers like judges, architects and dentists tend to have the highest average rates due to high stress and lots of time spent at work. Other professions such as pilots, historians and homemakers receive lower rates.
Mature drivers pay less - More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations. Teenage drivers are statistically proven to be less responsible when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Illinois drivers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings by State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all say the same thing that you can save if you switch to their company.

How can each company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has great credit. A propective insured who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Drivers who fall outside the requirements will be quoted higher premiums which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is "customers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. This is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Best coverage at the best price

Lower-priced auto insurance can be found on the web and also from your neighborhood Stockton agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

For more Illinois auto insurance information

More information is located on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance found here. Illinois drivers can view a list of available companies, learn about insurance regulations, read consumer alerts, and find a variety of consumer forms.