Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Vancouver Car Insurance

No one looks forward to buying car insurance, particularly when they are paying too much.

There is such a variety of to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to have a selection, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but companies offer discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied prior to receiving the credit.

Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Vancouver can help you save on car insurance because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
Air Bag Discount - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
Safety Course Discount - Taking a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Student in College - Kids in college who live away from home and don't have a car may qualify for this discount.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.

Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn't work that way. But any discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurers with discount car insurance rates in Washington, click here to view.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

There are several ways of comparing rates from different Vancouver insurance companies. The best method to find the lowest rates is to get quotes online. This can be done in several different ways.

The best way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form eliminates the need for repetitive form entry for each company. Just one form will get you price quotes direct from many companies.
A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online requires a visit to each individual company website and fill out their own quote form. For examples sake, let's assume you want to compare , and . You would have to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, which is why most consumers use the first method. To view a list of companies in Vancouver, click here.
The least recommended method of getting rate comparisons is to spend your day driving to insurance agents' offices. The ability to buy insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the professional advice of a licensed agent. However, consumers can obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and you'll learn how to do that later.

It's up to you which method you use, but be sure to compare identical coverage limits for every quote you compare. If the quotes have differing limits it will be impossible to determine the best price in Vancouver. Quoting even small variations in limits could mean much higher rates. Keep in mind that having more price comparisons helps locate better pricing.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in better car insurance rates.

What are your deductibles? - Deductibles for physical damage represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered would be colliding with a building, damage from fire, or theft. The more money the insured has to pay upfront, the lower your rates will be.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Even one speeding ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with dangerous tickets such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are quite a few additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages for roadside assistance, accidental death and membership fees may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good at first, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Washington have a tendency to get distracted easily behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Adding a young driver onto your car insurance can really hurt. Older drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone's needs are different so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation will benefit from professional help.

When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Vancouver?
Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?

If you're not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive consistently run ads on TV and radio. All the companies make an identical promise that you can save if you change your policy. How does each company claim to save you money?

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer might be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has a short commute. Any driver who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential customers who fall outside these standards must pay higher prices and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "people who switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Shop smart and save

Affordable car insurance is attainable both online in addition to many Vancouver insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just presented some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from an unexpected company. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like .

As you shop your coverage around, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

More information is available on the website for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner through this link. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, discover disciplinary actions, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.