5 Must-Know Tricks When Comparing Palmer, AK Auto Insurance

Expensive auto insurance can drain your bank account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Doing a price comparison is free and is an excellent way to make sure you’re not throwing money away.

Having so many auto insurance companies to choose from, it can be diffult for consumers to choose the cheapest company.

Finding affordable coverage in Palmer is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using these tips. But Alaska car owners must comprehend how big insurance companies sell online and apply this information to your search.

Don’t miss out on these money-saving discounts

Auto insurance companies do not list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.

Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
Sign Online – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy online.
Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.
Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive a discount up to 10%.
Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially as compared to bad drivers.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way.

For a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Palmer, click this link.

Factors that affect insurance rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.

The following are some of the items used by your company to calculate prices.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.findnewcarinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-27.jpg" alt="Palmer AK insurance quotes” />

Equipment add-ons that lower auto insurance rates – Owning a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can help prevent auto theft.
Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are quite a few additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t careful. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Adjust deductibles and save – The deductibles define the amount you are required to spend before a claim is paid by your company. Insurance for physical damage to your car, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. The more expense you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates – Letting your insurance expire is a guaranteed way to pay more for auto insurance. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you a steep fine or even jail time.You may have to file a SR-22 with the Alaska department of motor vehicles.
Being married is a good thing – Having a wife or husband can actually save you money when buying auto insurance. It is viewed as being more mature than a single person and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Your job and insurance rates – Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs such as lawyers, business owners and accountants tend to have higher rates than average because of high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, occupations like actors, athletes and performers receive lower rates.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
Multi-policy discounts can save money – Most insurance companies will give a discount to insureds who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you still need to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.

Buying auto insurance from a local agent

Some people just want to buy from a local agent and that is a personal choice. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is the fact that you can find better rates but also keep your business local.

After filling out this simple form, your insurance data is transmitted to local insurance agents in Palmer who will give you bids to get your business. There is no need to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Choosing an insurer should depend on more than just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:

Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
What insurance company do they write the most business with?
Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
Are claims handled at the agent’s location?

To select a specific agent in Palmer, visit this site.

Upon receiving satisfactory answers to these questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s possible that you found a company that is a good match to provide auto insurance coverage.

Misconceptions in auto insurance advertisements

Companies like Allstate and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the ads say the same thing that you’ll save big if you switch to their company. How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, a clean driving record, and has a high credit rating. Any driver who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save a lot of money.

Drivers who do not match these standards will be quoted higher prices and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to compare many company’s rates. It’s impossible to know which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the Alaska Division of Insurance website. Alaska consumers can read consumer alerts, report car insurance fraud, and read state legal mandates and laws.

A tidy conclusion

When buying insurance coverage, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are too many instances where an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to shop for auto insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a small mutual company. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate or State Farm.