How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Car Insurance in Utica

Expensive car insurance can take a big chunk out of your checking account, especially in this economy. Shopping your coverage around is a great way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.

You have so many to pick from, and though it is a good thing to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to shop coverage around on a regular basis because rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best deal a year ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Starting now, ignore everything you know about car insurance because you're going to learn the proper way to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Tips to Get Lower Utica Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

Being married is a good thing - Being married can actually save you money on car insurance. It translates into being more mature it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Are you male or female? - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women have accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets such as reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
How's your driving record? - Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Even a single speeding ticket can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have serious citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Rural vs Urban Areas - Residing in a small town can be a good thing when it comes to car insurance. Urban drivers regularly have much more traffic and longer commute times. Lower population means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
Don't get talked into coverage you don't need - There are many add-on coverages that you can buy on your policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are some examples. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Optional equipment can affect rates - Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all aid in stopping auto theft.

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Cost in Utica, Illinois

Comparing car insurance rates can be exhausting if you don't understand the most efficient way to do it. You can spend your afternoon driving to local insurance agents in Utica, or you can stay home and use the internet to get prices fast.

Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and at least one company then gives them pricing. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

The only downside to getting quotes like this is you don't know exactly which providers you want pricing from. So if you want to choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we have assembled a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Illinois. Click here for list of insurance companies in Illinois.

However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing identical coverages and limits for each comparison quote. If you compare different deductibles you will not be able to determine the lowest rate in Utica. Slightly different limits may result in large price differences. Just remember that comparing more company's prices helps you find a lower rate.

How much can you save with discounts?

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some discounts apply automatically when you purchase, but some must be specifically requested before being credited.

Sign Online - Some insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application over the internet.
Accident Waiver - 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 certain period of time.
Good Student Discount - This discount can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
Bundle and Save - If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts up to 30%.

It's important to note that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you're out of luck. But any discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in Illinois, click here.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured could be over the age of 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Consumers who don't meet these standards will have to pay higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. This is how insurance companies can make those claims.

Because of the profiling, you need to get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

More information is available on the website for the Illinois Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can get help finding coverage, learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and view agent and company licensing information.

Other informative sites include this site for Illinois car insurance information and see this list of insurance agents in Utica.

Final considerations

Lower-priced car insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Utica, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets compared to the large companies like .