6 Discounts Smyrna Shoppers Overlook when Comparing Car Insurance on the Web
Are you a victim of high-priced car insurance? Trust us, you’re not alone.
Consumers have many insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, it can be more difficult to find a good deal.
Shopping for the lowest cost car insurance in Smyrna is simple if you know the tricks. In a nutshell, every vehicle owner who is required by state law to have car insurance most likely will be able to reduce their rates. But Georgia vehicle owners benefit from understanding how big insurance companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.
Free Quotes for Car Insurance in Smyrna, GA
Most companies allow you to get prices on their websites. The process is pretty painless as you just type in as requested by the quote form. After you complete the form, their rating system requests your driving record and credit report and returns a price. This makes comparing rates easy, but the time required to go to a lot of sites and type in the same information is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it’s absolutely necessary to compare as many rates as possible if you are searching for the lowest possible prices on car insurance.
Rate comparisons made easy
A less time-consuming method to lower your rates makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from multiple companies. It saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online quotes much more efficient. As soon as the form is sent, it is quoted and you are able to buy any or none of the returned quotes.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
In order to compare pricing, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you input deductibles and limits as shown on your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will be getting comparison quotes based on identical coverages.
Discounts are available to cut your rates
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Most are applied at quote time, but a few need to be manually applied prior to getting the savings.
- Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Club Memberships – Belonging to a professional or civic organization could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
- Distant Student – Any of your kids who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will reduce your premiums.
To see a list of insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Smyrna, follow this link.
But I want to work with a local agent
Some people prefer to sit down with an agent and that is OK! One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is you can get the lowest rates but also keep your business local. Buying from small agencies is important especially in Smyrna.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Smyrna who will give you bids for your coverage. You don’t have to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. It’s the lowest rates AND a local agent.
Two types of Smyrna insurance agencies
When looking for an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in Smyrna are categorized either independent or captive.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents do not work for one specific company but rather can write business with multiple insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency. When comparison shopping, you should always include price quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to have the most options to choose from.
Listed below are Smyrna independent insurance agencies who can help you get competitive price quotes.
Direct General Ins Agency – 3791 S Cobb Dr SE # N – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (770) 436-7200
Insurance Agency Of Smyrna – 4045 Orchard Rd SE # 110 – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (770) 952-3766
Pair Agency – 1326 Concord Rd SE – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (770) 434-6691
Trustway Insurance – 1810 Spring Rd SE – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (770) 436-7625
Acceptance Insurance Co – 2477 Cobb Pkwy SE – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (770) 850-8484
Captive Agents
Captive agencies are contracted to one company like American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. Captive agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Listed below is a list of captive insurance agents in Smyrna that are able to give rate quotes.
State Farm Insurance – 2629 Cobb Pkwy SE # A – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (770) 951-2044
Allstate Insurance – 2351 S Cobb Dr SE – Smyrna, GA 30080 – (678) 305-1066
For a complete listing of captive agents in Smyrna, visit this site.
Selecting an insurance agency should depend on more than just the price. These questions are important to ask:
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
Once you have positive feedback as well as a affordable price, you’ve probably found an insurance agent that will insure your vehicles. But remember, consumers can cancel coverage at any point so don’t feel you’re contractually obligated to a policy for the full term.
Car insurance coverage breakdown
Learning about specific coverages of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the usual coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Insurance for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for surgery, chiropractic care and EMT expenses. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many Georgia drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Most of the time these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Auto liability
This can cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which means a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability insurance covers claims such as court costs, funeral expenses, loss of income and repair costs for stationary objects. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Georgia requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like fire damage, vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverage protection
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things such as crashing into a ditch, colliding with a tree, crashing into a building, rolling your car and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Buy online or local, you save
We just presented many ways to shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from the smaller companies. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like GEICO and State Farm.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, someone dropped collision coverage only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.
Additional car insurance information is available on the website for the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. Click here for link. Georgia drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find a variety of consumer forms.
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