9 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance in Jacksonville Florida

Finding lower rates for Jacksonville auto insurance can be hard for people who are new to buying insurance online. Drivers have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a real challenge to compare prices in Jacksonville.

Finding the best coverage in Jacksonville is simple if you know the tricks. If you have insurance now or need new coverage, you can use these techniques to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. Florida consumers only need to know the best way to compare prices over the internet.

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance in Jacksonville, FL

Most major insurance companies quote prices on their websites. This process is quite easy as you just type in your coverage preferences as requested by the quote form. After you submit the form the company’s rating system automatically retrieves reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price quote determined by many factors.

Online price quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the work required to visit multiple sites and type in the same information gets old quite quickly. But it is imperative to do this in order to get lower prices.

Compare rates the easy way

An easier way to find better auto insurance pricing makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from a lot of companies. This type of form saves time, reduces the work, and makes quoting online a little more enjoyable. After your information is entered, it is quoted and you are able to buy any or none of the quotes that you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and buy the policy. The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete and you’ll know if lower rates are available.

If you want to find out what other companies charge, simply click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you copy the coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. Doing this guarantees you will have a fair comparison for similar coverage.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts to help offset the cost. Most are applied at quote time, but some must be manually applied before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags can get savings of 20% or more.
Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
Homeowners Savings – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
Accident Waiver – A few companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
Sign Online – Some insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy over the internet.
Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Discount for Life Insurance – Some companies give a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So even though it sounds like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will reduce your overall premium however.

For a list of providers with the best auto insurance discounts in Jacksonville, click here.

What happened to insurance agents?

Certain consumers would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is OK! Licensed agents can answer important questions and give you peace of mind. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find the best rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for small agencies is definitely important in Jacksonville.

Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is immediately sent to local insurance agents who will return price quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide.

If you wish to view a list of agents in Jacksonville to contact, visit this site.

Picking an provider should depend on more than just a cheap price. These are valid questions to ask: Jacksonville insurance comparisons

Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
How are claims handled?
Will your rates increase after a single accident?

After receiving positive responses for all questions you ask and an acceptable price quote, chances are good that you have found an provider that is a good match to properly service your auto insurance policy. Just keep in mind policyholders can terminate coverage at any point so don’t think that you are obligated to a specific agent for any length of time.

Situations that might require an agent

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

These are some specific questions may help you determine if you might need professional guidance.

What are the best liability limits?
Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
When would I need additional glass coverage?
What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?

If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Additional auto insurance information is available on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website through this link. Florida consumers can view agent and company licensing information, read industry bulletins, read state legal mandates and laws, and find disaster information.

Auto insurance coverage options

Understanding the coverages of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Liability auto insurance

This coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see values of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for claims such as court costs, funeral expenses and emergency aid. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but buy as large an amount as possible. Florida requires minimum liability limits of 10,000/20,000/10,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.

Medical expense insurance

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for short-term medical expenses like EMT expenses, nursing services, surgery, ambulance fees and X-ray expenses. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover both the driver and occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance pays for damage to your vehicle from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as scraping a guard rail, hitting a mailbox, crashing into a ditch, driving through your garage door and rolling your car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your vehicle.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (10/20/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things like hitting a bird, a broken windshield, vandalism, fire damage and hitting a deer. The maximum payout your auto insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Final considerations

We just presented a lot of techniques to lower your auto insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a small mutual company.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price.

The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced both online in addition to many Jacksonville insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some auto insurance companies do not provide online quoting and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.