Tightwads Tips for Saving on Wenatchee Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced car insurance? Trust us, you are not the only one feeling buyer's remorse.

Drivers have so many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have a selection, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

The purpose of this post is to tell you the most effective way to quote insurance and some money-saving tips. If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. But Washington consumers do need to know the methods companies use to determine prices.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help offset the cost. Most are applied when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you get the savings.

Memberships - Being a member of a qualifying organization could trigger savings when buying car insurance.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Pay Upfront and Save - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.
Student in College - Any of your kids living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
No Charge for an Accident - Certain companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven't had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Claim Free - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less when compared with bad drivers.
Drivers Education - Have your child enroll in driver's education in high school.
Federal Government Employee - Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
Paperless Signup - A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.

Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will bring down your premiums.

To see a list of insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Washington, click this link.

Quick Wenatchee Car Insurance Quotes

There are multiple methods to compare car insurance prices but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with agents in Wenatchee, or you could save time and use online quoting to quickly compare rates.

Many insurance companies belong to a marketplace that enables customers to submit one quote, and each participating company returns a rated price determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do quote requests to each individual car insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is that you can't choose which carriers you want pricing from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies for rate comparison, we have a page of car insurance companies in Washington. View list of Washington insurance companies.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just compare identical deductibles and coverage limits on every quote you get. If your comparisons have different values for each quote it's impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Wenatchee. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. Just keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies helps locate better pricing.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

The list below includes some of the items used by your company to calculate premiums.

Don't sacrifice liability coverage - The liability section of your policy provides coverage if you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Safer occupants lowers premiums - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Washington tend to get distracted easily when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are more responsible, file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.
Add-on coverages can add up - There are a lot of extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Proper usage rating affects rates - The more you drive in a year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your car insurance policy shows the correct driver usage.
Rates may be lower depending on your job - Occupations such as real estate brokers, executives and financial analysts have higher average rates because of stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs such as actors, engineers and the unemployed get better rates.

The car insurance bait and switch

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim that you'll save big if you move your coverage to them. How does each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any driver who matches those parameters receives the best rates and therefore will save when switching.

Drivers who don't measure up to these standards must pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's the way companies can make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Do the work, save more money

Budget-conscious car insurance is possible both online as well as from independent agents in Wenatchee, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers don't offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you shop your coverage around, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

Find out more about car insurance

Much more information about car insurance in Washington can be read on the website for the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner located here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, find disaster information, view a list of available companies, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.