5 Top Ways to Cut Car Insurance Costs in Midwest City

Overpriced car insurance can empty your bank account, especially in this economy. Comparison shopping is a smart way to help make ends meet. Because you have many online and local companies to choose from, it can be challenging to locate the best insurance company.

Smart consumers take time to compare prices before your policy renews since rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you got the best rates on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re about to learn how to use the internet to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

Finding affordable coverage in Midwest City 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. Oklahoma consumers just need to know the best way to get comparison rates on the web.

Take these 5 discounts and save

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the more common as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
• Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
• Use Seat Belts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
• Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you may reduce your total bill.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Midwest City, follow this link.

What if I want to buy from a local Midwest City agent?

Some people just want to sit down with an agent. Good agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you someone to call. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates but also keep your business local.

Once you complete this simple form, your insurance data is sent to participating agents in Midwest City who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to leave your house as quotes are delivered directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier!

Selecting a company shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Will your rates increase after a single accident?
• Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
• Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
• How long has their agency been in business in Midwest City?
• Is assistance available after office hours?
• Are they full-time agents?

If you prefer to select a specific agent in Midwest City, view this link.

Upon receiving good answers for all questions you ask and a good coverage price, you’ve probably found an provider that can adequately provide car insurance.

Save $464 a year? Really?

Oklahoma consumers constantly see and hear ads for cheaper car insurance by companies like State Farm and Allstate. They all make an identical promise of big savings if you move to them.

How does each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer could be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Consumers who fall outside this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings. This illustrates why it is so important to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Auto insurance 101

Having a good grasp of car insurance aids in choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverage types offered by car insurance companies.

Liability car insurance

This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as loss of income, medical expenses, repair costs for stationary objects, bail bonds and medical services. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Oklahoma requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Since many Oklahoma drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Comprehensive car insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like theft, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hail damage and rock chips in glass. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for medical expenses

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for expenses such as X-ray expenses, doctor visits and hospital visits. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

Coverage for collisions

Collision insurance pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a parking meter, sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a mailbox and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Online resources for education

Additional detailed information can be read at the Oklahoma Insurance Department website. Oklahoma drivers can read state legal mandates and laws, view a list of available companies, find disaster information, and read industry bulletins.

Also read more on FindNewCarInsurance.com and QuoteClickSave.com.

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

Lower-priced car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Midwest City, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection. Some companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

We’ve covered many tips how you can lower your car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest rates come from a smaller regional carrier. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate or State Farm.