How to Reduce Your Oldsmobile Achieva Car Insurance Rates

Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can dwindle your checking account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparing price quotes is a great way to cut your insurance bill.

Many auto insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the best coverage at the lowest rate possible.

Lots of discounts mean lots of savings

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but companies offer discounts to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.

Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially when compared to accident-prone drivers.
Accident Waiver – Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
Driver’s Ed – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
Government Employees – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount on Achieva insurance with select insurance companies.
Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. But any discount will cut your premiums.

To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates, click this link.

Comprehensive Car Insurance Comparison

There are multiple methods to compare car insurance quotes, but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You could spend your day talking to agents in your area, or you can stay home and use online quotes to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Most of the best insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and each participating company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions to every company.

To get comparison pricing now click here to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify which providers you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare, we put together a list of companies who write car insurance in your area. Click to view list.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but compare identical information on every quote. If the quotes have different limits and deductibles on each one you will not be able to determine the lowest rate for your Oldsmobile Achieva. Slightly different coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. Just keep in mind that getting more free quotes helps you find lower pricing.

Oldsmobile Achieva rate determination is complex

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get big savings. insurance prices

Listed below are some of the items companies use to determine your rates.

Performance makes a difference – The make and model of the vehicle you own makes a huge difference in the rate you pay. The most favorable rates are for small economy passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost. Since the Oldsmobile Achieva is a sedan, rates will be about the same than the average rate where you live.
Safer cars cost less to insure – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into savings for insurance companies passed on to you as lower rates. If your Oldsmobile has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it is probably cheaper to insure.
Don’t skimp on liability – Liability insurance is the protection if you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense coverage which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Some companies will award you with lower prices to policyholders who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you may still want to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still find better rates by splitting coverages up.
Rural vs Urban Areas – Choosing to live in a rural area has it’s advantages when it comes to car insurance. City drivers have to deal with congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Lower population means reduced accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.

What about using a local agent?

A small number of people just want to get advice from a local agent and that is just fine! The best thing about getting online price quotes is you may find better rates and still choose a local agent. And supporting local insurance agencies is important particularly if you live in a smaller city or town.

After filling out this short form, the coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will battle for your insurance coverage. You never need to leave your computer since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy! You’ll get the best rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Compare rates from both independent and captive auto insurance agents

When researching a reliable agent, there are two types of agencies that you can select. Agencies are classified as either independent or captive.

Independent Agencies or Brokers

These agents are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When comparison shopping, it’s recommended you get quotes from several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.

Agency Captives

This type of agents work for only one company such as Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. Captives cannot place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. They are well schooled in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.

For a complete listing of agents, visit this site.

Selecting a car insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:

Which company do they place the most coverage with?
How are they compensated?
If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?

After getting satisfactory answers to these questions as well as a affordable price, it’s possible that you found a car insurance agent that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.

The car insurance bait and switch

Car insurance providers like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. They all say the same thing about savings if you switch to their company. But how can every company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” receives the best rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile will be charged more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s the way companies can state the savings.

That is why you should compare as many rates as you can. It’s impossible to know which company will give you the biggest savings.

What is YOUR best insurance company?

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are too many instances where someone dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Cost effective Oldsmobile Achieva insurance is attainable from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.