Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Webster Car Insurance

Expensive car insurance can dwindle your checking account, especially in this economy. Shopping your coverage around is free and is an excellent way to lower your monthly bill. There are many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to be able to choose, it makes it harder to compare rates.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better car insurance rates.

Listed below are some of the factors companies use to determine premiums.

Policy add-ons can waste money - There are many add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good initially, but if you don't need them eliminate them to save money.
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. Men and women cause accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Young males are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
How's your driving record? - Good drivers get better rates than bad drivers. Only having one speeding ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers with serious tickets such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
With age comes lower rates - Young drivers in Massachusetts are statistically proven to get distracted easily when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. Adding a young driver to your policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
High performance equals high price - The performance of the car you are insuring makes a big difference in your rates. The lowest base rates are usually for lower performance four cylinder passenger models, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
More than one policy can earn a discount - Most car insurance companies will award you with lower prices to policyholders who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it's still a good idea to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but there are discounts available that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied at quote time, but some must be inquired about in order for you to get them. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Accident Waiver - Certain companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven't had any claims for a certain period of time.
Good Student Discount - This discount can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
New Car Discount - Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less compared to insuring an older model.
Early Signing - Some companies give discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.

It's important to note that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you're out of luck. But any discount will bring down your premiums.

To choose insurers offering car insurance discounts in Massachusetts, click this link.

The car insurance bait and switch

Consumers can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make the same claim that you can save if you switch to them.

How does each company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has great credit. A customer who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to these standards must pay more money which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save money. This is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.

This illustrates why you should get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

More information is available on the website for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance found here. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Best coverage at the best price

Lower-priced car insurance is available from both online companies and with local Webster insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just showed you many ideas to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as .

When you buy insurance online, it's very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.