9 Tricks Shown to Lower Car Insurance Costs in Avondale

Nobody I know likes paying for car insurance, especially when they are paying too much.

There are many auto insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, it can be more challenging to adequately compare rates.

Locating the lowest cost car insurance coverage in Avondale is not that difficult. Just about anyone who buys car insurance most likely will be able to reduce their rates. Nevertheless, Arizona drivers do need to learn the way insurance companies sell insurance online.

How to Compare Car Insurance Costs in Avondale, Arizona

There are several ways of comparing rate quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The quickest method to find the cheapest insurance rates is simply to get online rate quotes. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

The best way to find low rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison click to view form in new window. This type of form keeps you from doing multiple quote forms to each individual car insurance company. A single, simple form compares rates from all major companies.

A less efficient way to obtain and compare quotes online is to manually visit the website of each company to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, let’s assume you want rates from State Farm, GEICO and Liberty Mutual. To find out each rate you need to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Avondale, click here.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but make absolute certain that you use identical deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If your comparisons have different deductibles it will be very difficult to find the best deal in Avondale. Quoting even small variations in coverages may result in large price differences. Just keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps locate a lower rate.

The car insurance bait and switch

Car insurance providers like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all have a common claim about savings after switching your coverage to them. But how can every company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a desirable insured could possibly be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Consumers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile must pay higher premiums which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That is how insurance companies can claim big savings.

This illustrates why it’s extremely important to get quotes from several different companies. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Discounts are great for lower rates

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically when you purchase, but less common discounts must be asked for in order for you to get them.

Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
College Student – Any of your kids who are attending college without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for all your vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
Organization Discounts – Participating in a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for car insurance.
Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.
Anti-theft Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Safety Course Discount – Taking a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.

Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way. Any qualifying discounts will cut the amount you have to pay.

You may need specialized coverage

When it comes to choosing the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions can help discover if your situation may require specific advice.

Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Additional information can be read on the website for the Arizona Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Consumers can get help finding coverage, read consumer alerts, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find out industry alerts.

Coverages available on your policy

Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the usual coverages offered by car insurance companies.

Coverage for liability

Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Another option is 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 emergency aid, structural damage and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as large an amount as possible. Arizona state minimum liability requirements are 15,000/30,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

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

Comprehensive insurance

This will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as theft, hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane and fire damage. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Coverage for collisions

This will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against things like rolling your car, sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter, crashing into a building and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Arizona limits are 15/30/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Normally these limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Shop smart and save

Affordable car insurance can be found online and with local Avondale insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

We covered many tips how you can shop for car insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and GEICO.

When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where someone sacrificed full coverage only to regret at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price.