9 Discounts Gainesville Consumers Forget when Buying Car Insurance

Paying for high-priced car insurance can overdraw your checking account and put a big crunch on your finances. Shopping your coverage around is a great way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket. Numerous insurance companies battle to insure your vehicles, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurers and uncover the absolute best rate

It’s a good idea to price shop coverage once or twice a year because prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you got the best rates last year other companies may now be cheaper. So block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we’re going to show you one of the easiest ways to save on car insurance.

Where Can I Get Cheap Gainesville Car Insurance?

Getting a lower price on insurance can be quick and easy. Drivers just need to take a couple of minutes to compare quotes online with multiple companies. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

The single most time-saving way to find low rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This form eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company. Just one form will get you rate comparisons .
Another way to compare rate quotes is going to each company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want to compare Nationwide, GEICO and Liberty Mutual. To find out each rate you need to spend time on each company’s site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a handy list of car insurance company links in Gainesville, click here.

However you get your quotes, compare identical coverage limits and deductibles on every quote you get. If the quotes have different liability limits it’s impossible to make a fair comparison in Gainesville.

Don’t miss out on these nine money-saving discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but a few must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
Paperwork-free – A few companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application over the internet.
Homeowners Discount – Owning a home in Gainesville may trigger a car insurance policy discount because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
Resident Student – Any of your kids who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
New Car Discount – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in Georgia, click here.

More information is available on the website for the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner found here. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, learn about specific coverages, read industry bulletins, and file complaints about a company.

The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Gainesville

Do car insurance companies bend the truth?

Consumers in Georgia get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance by companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. All the companies make the same claim that you can save if you switch to them.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.findnewcarinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-19.jpg" alt="Gainesville GA car insurance prices” />

How can each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a preferred risk could be over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and drives newer vehicles. Any driver who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who don’t measure up to this ideal profile will be charged higher prices which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s why companies can make those claims.

That is why it’s extremely important to get as many quotes as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Specific coverages

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverages available from car insurance companies.

Collision coverage

This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, colliding with another moving vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole, rolling your car and scraping a guard rail. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses like surgery, doctor visits, X-ray expenses and pain medications. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Auto liability

This can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people 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 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability insurance covers things such as loss of income, emergency aid and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Georgia state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.

Since many Georgia drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Usually the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Comprehensive auto coverage

This coverage pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as rock chips in glass, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, fire damage, theft and hitting a bird. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Quote more, save more

When you buy insurance online, never reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many situations where an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Cheap car insurance is possible online as well as from independent agents in Gainesville, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.