Techniques for Effectively Comparing Clearwater, FL Car Insurance Rates

I can’t think of a single person who likes having to buy car insurance, especially when their premiums are too high. Many insurers compete for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the absolute cheapest price

It is always a good idea to compare prices on a regular basis because prices are usually higher with each renewal. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price a year ago other companies may now be cheaper. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re going to learn how to use the internet to find lower rates on car insurance.

Take discounts and save

Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list every available discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the best known and the more hidden car insurance savings. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Good Students Pay Less – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
• Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Safety Course Discount – Successfully completing a course in driver safety can save you 5% or more depending on where you live.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
• 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive reduced rates.
• New Car Discount – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.

It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

Comprehensive Car Insurance Comparison in Clearwater, Florida

There are several ways to compare car insurance quotes, and some are easier and takes less work. You can waste hours driving to insurance agencies in Clearwater, or you could use the web to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Many of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each participating company returns a competitive quote determined by their information. This eliminates the need for quotation requests for every car insurance company.

To access this free quoting program, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to pricing coverage this way is you don’t know exactly which providers you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we have assembled a list of companies who write car insurance in Florida. Click here for list of insurance companies in Florida.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make darn sure you compare the exact same coverages and limits for every company. If you are comparing differing limits it will be very difficult to decipher which rate is best in Clearwater.

Final thoughts

We covered many tips how you can get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

Budget-conscious car insurance is attainable online and with local Clearwater insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

When shopping online for car insurance, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.