6 Shopping Tips Guaranteed to Save Money on Auto Insurance Costs in Lake Charles

No one cherishes buying auto insurance, in particular when they are paying too much. Because you have many different company options, it can be challenging to choose the lowest cost insurer.

It’s a great practice to price shop coverage once or twice a year since insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Even if you got the best deal six months ago a different company probably has better rates today. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re going to learn how to use the internet to lower your annual insurance bill.

Buying car insurance in Lake Charles is quite easy. If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these tips to reduce the price you pay while maximizing coverage. Louisiana vehicle owners just need to learn how to shop for auto insurance online.

Do you qualify for these six discounts?

Companies offering auto insurance do not advertise all their discounts very well, so we break down both the well known as well as the least known auto insurance savings. If you don’t get every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

Accident Waiver – Some insurance companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break simply for signing online.
Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way.

To see a list of providers with the best auto insurance discounts in Lake Charles, click here to view.

Compare Lake Charles Auto Insurance Costs

Performing a rate comparison can be a daunting task if you don’t utilize the best way to get rate quotes. You can waste a lot of time talking to insurance companies in Lake Charles, or you can utilize online quoting to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

Most of the larger companies enroll in a system that enables customers to submit their information once, and each company returns a rated price based on the submitted data. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to each individual auto insurance company.

To find out what other companies charge click here to open in new window.

The one downside to using this type of form is you cannot specify the insurers you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare rates, we have assembled a list of low cost auto insurance companies in Louisiana. Click here to view list. compare rates in Lake Charles

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make sure you use the exact same information with every price quote. If you use mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to determine the best price in Lake Charles.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When buying proper insurance coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.

Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
Do no-fault laws apply in Louisiana?
Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
Who is covered by my policy?
If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Louisiana?
Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.

Auto insurance coverage information

Knowing the specifics of your auto insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find typical coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Insurance for medical payments – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills such as chiropractic care, surgery, ambulance fees, dental work and funeral costs. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many Louisiana drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (15/30/25 in Louisiana), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as hitting a deer, fire damage, theft, damage from flooding and falling objects. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Coverage for liability – This can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability can pay for things such as medical services, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and court costs. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Louisiana state law requires minimum liability limits of 15,000/30,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.

Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for claims such as scraping a guard rail, hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter, rolling your car and crashing into a building. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

One last thing about your coverage

We just covered many ways to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.

When shopping online for auto insurance, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.