7 Money Saving Ideas Guaranteed to Lower Car Insurance Costs in Emporia

People not familiar with shopping for insurance online may find buying low-cost Emporia car insurance is harder than they anticipated.

This article will let you in on how to get online quotes and some tips to save money. If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. But Kansas car owners need to learn how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but companies offer discounts to cut the cost considerably. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but less common discounts must be asked about prior to getting the savings.

Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy could earn a price break for each car.
Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared to bad drivers.
Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may save up to 50% more than drivers with accidents.
Student Driver Training – Have your child take driver’s ed class in high school.
One Accident Forgiven – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Save over 55 – Mature drivers may qualify for a discount up to 10%.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will cut your overall premium however.

To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Emporia, click here.

Do I just need basic coverages?

When buying adequate coverage, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

For instance, these questions can help discover if your situation would benefit from professional advice.

Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
When would I need additional glass coverage?
When would I need rental car insurance?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
What can I do if my company denied a claim?
How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Buying car insurance locally

Some people would rather buy from a local agent. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is you can get lower rates but still work with a licensed agent. Buying from local businesses is important particularly in Emporia.

After completing this simple form, your insurance data is sent to agents in your area who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?! It’s the lowest rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.

Insurance agent types

When finding a local agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents to choose from. Emporia agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive).

Independent Agents

Independent agents are not required to write business for one company but instead can place your coverage with multiple insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies and that require little work on your part.

When comparing rates, you should always include price quotes from several independent insurance agents to get the best comparison. Many write coverage with smaller companies which may provide better rates.

Shown below are Emporia independent agencies that are able to give price quotes.

Steven S Graham Agency – 625 Merchant St # 222 – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 342-5299
Theel Insurance and Financial – 802 W 6th Ave – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 343-9245
Tobias Agency – 702 Commercial St # 1b – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 342-7665
Louise Schutter Insurance – 907 Commercial St – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 343-6300

Captive Agents

This type of agents write business for a single company and examples are State Farm, AAA and Liberty Mutual. They usually cannot place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. Captives receive extensive training on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage. Consumers often choose to use a captive agent primarily because of the prominence of the brand and the convenience of having all coverages with one company. Emporia Kansas insurance prices

The following is a short list of captive agencies in Emporia that are able to give price quote information.

American Family Insurance – 722 W 6th Ave – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 342-0562
State Farm Insurance – 920 Commercial St – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 342-6272
Shelter Insurance – 1803 W 6th Ave – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 343-7031
Farmers Insurance Group – 1225 W 6th Ave – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 342-0807
Allstate Insurance – 503 Commercial St – Emporia, KS 66801 – (620) 343-8689

To view a complete directory of captive insurance agents in Emporia, click here to link.

Picking an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Agents should be asked these questions:

Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
Do they assist clients in filing claims?
Is working in the agency their full-time job?
Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
Can glass repairs be made at your home?
Who are their largest clients?

After getting positive responses to these questions and locked in a price quote, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that will provide car insurance coverage.

Buyer beware of car insurance advertising tricks

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and GEICO constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim of big savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a driver they prefer could be over the age of 40, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. Any driver who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential customers who don’t meet this ideal profile will be charged a more expensive rate and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. This is how companies can truthfully state the savings.

That is why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

More Kansas car insurance information

Much more information about car insurance in Kansas is available on the Kansas Insurance Department website through this link. Kansas drivers can view a list of available companies, find out industry alerts, and find a variety of consumer forms.

Car insurance coverage basics

Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Coverage for liability

Liability insurance provides protection from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects YOU from legal claims by others. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.

Liability coverage protects against claims like medical services, court costs, emergency aid and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Kansas state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things like hitting a deer, hitting a bird, vandalism, damage from getting keyed and hail damage. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses like hospital visits, X-ray expenses, funeral costs and dental work. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

UM/UIM Coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.

Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time these limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Collision coverage

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against things such as hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a parking meter and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Final considerations

Discount car insurance is definitely available both online in addition to many Emporia insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

People who switch companies do it for many reasons like an unsatisfactory settlement offer, policy cancellation, denial of a claim or questionable increases in premium. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is actually quite simple.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.