10 Discounts Simpsonville Drivers Miss when Comparing Car Insurance Online

Feel like you’re a prisoner to overpriced car insurance? Trust us, you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.

There are many insurers to pick from, and even though it’s nice to be able to choose, it makes it harder to get the best deal.

You should make it a habit to compare rates every six months since rates fluctuate regularly. Even if you think you had the best price a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to one of the best ways to get good coverage at a lower rate.

How to Compare Car Insurance in Simpsonville, South Carolina

Most major insurance companies give coverage price quotes on the web. Obtaining pricing doesn’t take much effort as you just type in your coverage information as requested by the quote form. After the form is submitted, their system sends out for your credit score and driving record and returns pricing information. This makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit different websites and type in the same information gets old quite quickly. But it’s absolutely necessary to do this in order to get better prices.

The quickest way to compare rates utilizes a single form to get prices from several different companies. It’s a real time-saver, reduces the work, and makes comparison shopping much easier. Once the form is submitted, it is rated and you can select your choice of the quotes that you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, you can simply submit the application and purchase the new policy. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you’ll know if lower rates are available.

To quickly use this form to compare rates, click here to open in a new tab and enter your information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you enter coverages and limits identical to your current policy. This guarantees you will have rate comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

Can you really save that much by switching?

Car insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all have a common claim that you can save after switching to them. How do they all make the same claim?

All companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. An example of a desirable insured could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile will be charged higher rates and ends up with business not being written. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently make those claims. That is why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It’s not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Pay less by taking advantage of these ten discounts

Companies don’t always publicize every available discount very clearly, so the following is a list of some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.

  • Accident Waiver – Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
  • 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may qualify for reduced rates.
  • Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • Discount for New Cars – Insuring a new car is cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
  • Sign Online – A few companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
  • Club Memberships – Affiliation with certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break on your policy.
  • Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
  • Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
  • Distant Student – Children who are attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.

Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck.Auto insurance in South Carolina

To see a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in South Carolina, follow this link.

Your coverage should be tailored to you

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
  • Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
  • Am I covered when driving a rental car?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
  • Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Additional detailed information can be read at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, learn about specific coverages, download brochures, and get help finding coverage.

Detailed coverages of your car insurance policy

Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find typical coverage types available from car insurance companies.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 25/50/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses like ambulance fees, X-ray expenses, pain medications and doctor visits. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive insurance

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like fire damage, falling objects and hitting a deer. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision coverage

This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Auto insurance in South Carolina

Collision insurance covers things like hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter, colliding with another moving vehicle and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. You can also bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Auto liability

Liability insurance provides protection from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property by causing an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000.

Liability coverage protects against claims like structural damage, attorney fees and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. South Carolina requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

Final thoughts

We covered many ways to lower your car insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company. These companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.

When shopping online for car insurance, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where someone dropped collision coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.