9 Discounts Wichita Drivers Forget when Comparing Car Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Comparison shopping is a great way to cut your insurance bill.

Companies like GEICO, Progressive and Allstate all claim big savings with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and take the time to shop coverage around.

Consumers should take time to price shop coverage once or twice a year due to the fact that insurance rates fluctuate regularly. Even if you think you had the best rates two years ago other companies may now be cheaper. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the fastest and easiest way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. Finding the best rates in Wichita is not rocket science. But Kansas consumers need to have an understanding of the way insurance companies sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.

Do you qualify for a discount?

Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. Most are applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few must be inquired about prior to getting the savings.

• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Early Signing – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks on one policy qualifies for this discount.
• College Student – Children who live away from home and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
• Homeowners Savings – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home demonstrates responsibility.
• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accident claims.
• Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
• Multiple Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.

It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But all discounts will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose providers with the best car insurance discounts in Kansas, click here.

Where Can I Get Cheap Wichita Car Insurance?

There are a lot of ways you can shop for car insurance but one way is less time-consuming than others. You can spend your afternoon discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Wichita, or you could save time and use online quoting to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Most of the larger companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and every company returns a rated price based on that data. This eliminates the need for quotation requests to each individual car insurance company.

To access this free quoting program, click to open in new window.

The single downside to comparing rates this way is that you can’t choose the providers you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose specific providers for rate comparison, we put together a list of companies who write car insurance in Kansas. Click here to view list.

It’s up to you which method you use, but double check that you are using exactly the same coverages for each price quote. If the quotes have different limits and deductibles on each one it will be next to impossible to find the best deal in Wichita. Slightly different limits may cause a big price difference. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that comparing more company’s prices will enable you to find the best offered rates.

But I don’t know anything about car insurance

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions might help in determining if your situation might need professional guidance.

• When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
• Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
• Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Wichita?
• How many claims can I have before being cancelled?
• Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
• Is my vehicle covered for smoke damage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Car insurance coverage specifics

Having a good grasp of your policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.

Collision insurance

Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as colliding with a tree, sideswiping another vehicle, damaging your car on a curb, colliding with another moving vehicle and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since many Kansas drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/10 in Kansas), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical expense coverage

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses such as surgery, X-ray expenses and pain medications. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Auto liability

This protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. It protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage protects against things such as repair costs for stationary objects, legal defense fees and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Kansas state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but drivers should carry higher limits.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding, hail damage, falling objects and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The highest amount 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 it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Keep this in mind

When you buy insurance online, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we presented a lot of ways to compare car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company. They can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.