Tightwads Guide to Saving on Williamstown Auto Insurance

Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can overdraw your checking account and put a big crunch on your finances. Comparing price quotes is a great way to lower your monthly bill. With consumers having so many options when it comes to auto insurance, it is very difficult to find the cheapest insurance company.

It's important to take a look at other company's rates on a regular basis because prices are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding auto insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to reduce your auto insurance bill.

The purpose of this post is to help educate you on the best way to quote coverages and some tips to save money. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Massachusetts drivers only need an understanding of the most effective way to buy auto insurance over the internet.

Williamstown Rates are Influenced by These Factors

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings.

The following are a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting rates.

Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in Massachusetts are known to be more careless when driving so auto insurance rates are higher. Parents adding a teen driver to your auto insurance policy can be quite pricey. More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
Having a spouse can save you money - Having a wife or husband can get you a discount on auto insurance. It means you're more mature and responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Bundling policies can get discounts - Many insurance companies will give a discount to insureds who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it's still a good idea to comparison shop to ensure the best deal.
Men pay higher rates - Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. They both are in accidents in similar numbers, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
High deductibles save money - Physical damage coverage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply would be collision with another vehicle, vandalism, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.
Cautious drivers pay less - Careful drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single citation can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have flagrant citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.

Auto Insurance Prices in Williamstown, Massachusetts

All major auto insurance companies quote coverage prices on the web. This process is pretty painless as you just type in the coverages you want as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, the system will obtain reports for credit and driving violations and generates pricing information based on these factors. This helps simplify price comparisons, but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. But it's very important to perform this step if you are searching for the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to find lower prices uses one form that gets price quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online quotes much more enjoyable and efficient. After sending your information, it is quoted and you can select any or none of the resulting price quotes.

If you find a better price you simply finish the application and buy the policy. It can be completed in a matter of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you copy the coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will have a rate comparison for the exact same coverage.

Are you getting all your discounts?

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts to cut the cost considerably. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you get a quote, but a few must be asked for before you will receive the discount. If you don't get every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

College Student - Youth drivers who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
Sign Online - A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing online.
Theft Prevention System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may be able to get better auto insurance rates.
Own a Home - Owning a house in Williamstown can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
Passive Restraints - Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Driver Safety - Taking part in a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
No Accidents - Drivers who don't have accidents pay much less as compared to accident-prone drivers.

Consumers should know that some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Massachusetts, click here.

How can Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm save drivers who switch?

Consumers in Massachusetts can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to have a common claim of big savings after switching to their company.

But how can every company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. For instance, a desirable insured might be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Drivers who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay higher premiums and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. This is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, you need to get a wide range of price quotes. It's impossible to know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Additional auto insurance information is located on the website for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, get help finding coverage, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.

Other informative sites include this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of insurance agents in Williamstown.

A tidy conclusion

As you prepare to switch companies, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.

Cost effective auto insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood Williamstown agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

We covered a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as .