West Frankfort Car Insurance For Less Than You're Paying Now

Finding better rates for West Frankfort car insurance is a challenge for consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online. There are so many choices that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find the best price in West Frankfort.

The purpose of this post is to let you in on the best way to quote coverages and some money-saving tips. If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Nevertheless, Illinois car owners do need to know the way companies sell insurance online because it can help you find the best coverage.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate premiums.

  • Protect yourself with liability coverage - Liability insurance will protect you if you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • High numbers of claims are not good - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Auto insurance companies in Illinois give lower rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • Tickets mean higher rates - Whether or not you get tickets has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Only having one citation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers with serious tickets like DUI or reckless driving are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
  • More people means more accidents - Being located in less populated areas is a positive aspect when it comes to car insurance. Drivers in populated areas regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population means a lower chance of having an accident as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
  • Discounts for multiple policies - 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. If you currently are using one company, it's in your best interest to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. The more you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Drive a safer car and pay less - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
  • Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know your job can affect your rates? Occupations such as judges, executives and financial analysts have higher average rates in part from job stress and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs such as farmers, engineers and homemakers get better rates.

More discounts equal less premium

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but a few must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

  • Organization Discounts - Belonging to a qualifying organization could trigger savings when buying car insurance.
  • Employee of Federal Government - Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
  • Good Students Pay Less - This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
  • Auto/Home Discount - If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
  • Theft Prevention System - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle with the same company qualifies for this discount.
  • Lower Rates for Military - Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.

It's important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.

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

Switch companies and save? Really?

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim of big savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has a short commute. Any new insured who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match these standards must pay a higher premium which leads to business going elsewhere. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why you should compare as many rates as you can. It's just too difficult to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Learn more today

Additional car insurance information is located on the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, download brochures, and file complaints about a company.

Other informative sites include this link for Illinois car insurance quotes and this link which helps you find a West Frankfort agent.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Low-cost car insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in West Frankfort, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers don't offer online price quotes and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Insureds switch companies for any number of reasons including questionable increases in premium, extreme rates for teen drivers, high prices or even policy non-renewal. It doesn't matter why you want to switch switching car insurance companies is easier than you think.

You just learned some good ideas how to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company.