Auto Insurance in Norwalk – 8 Discounts Drivers are Missing

Are you sick and tired of paying out the nose to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Many insurers vie to insure your vehicles, and because of this it can be hard to compare car insurance companies to find the absolute lowest rate possible.

Comprehensive Auto Insurance Comparison in Norwalk, Connecticut

Reducing your insurance rates can be surprisingly simple. Just take a few minutes to compare rate quotes online with multiple companies. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

• One of the best ways consumers can make multiple comparisons is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This form saves time by eliminating separate quotes for each company you want a rate for. One form compares rates .
• A different way to analyze rates requires visiting each company’s website to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Liberty Mutual, GEICO and Progressive. To get each rate you have to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

  For a handy list of car insurance company links in Norwalk, click here.

• The hardest method of comparing rate quotes is driving to insurance agents’ offices. The internet makes this process obsolete unless you want the professional guidance only provided by licensed Norwalk agents. It is possible to compare the best prices online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll touch on that later.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make absolute certain that you use the exact same quote information for each price quote. If the quotes have mixed coverages it will be impossible to make a fair comparison in Norwalk.

Lots of discounts mean lots of savings

Companies do not advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

• Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on auto insurance.
• Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Safety Course Discount – Completing a driver safety course could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
• Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
• Driver’s Ed – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
• Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
• Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less compared to drivers who are more careless.
• Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% with a few auto insurance companies.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way.

Won’t my local insurance agent miss me?

Certain consumers prefer to buy from a local agent and that is just fine! Good agents can help determine the best coverages and give you someone to call. The best thing about comparing rates online is that you can obtain better rates but also keep your business local.

For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is immediately sent to companies in Norwalk who will battle to get your business. You never need to drive around since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide.

Selecting an insurer needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Some important questions to ask are:

• Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
• How often do they review policy coverages?
• Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
• Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
• Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?

Is a captive or independent auto insurance agent right for you?

When finding a local agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents that you can select. Agencies in Norwalk are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn how they differ because it can impact buying decisions.

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive insurance agents are contracted to one company and some examples include Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Shown below is a list of captive agencies in Norwalk who may provide you with comparison quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 197 East Ave – Norwalk, CT 06855 – (203) 866-1133
State Farm Insurance – 365 Westport Ave # 6 – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 846-6803

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent agents do not work for one specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent. When searching for an agent, we recommend you include price quotes from multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection.

Shown below is a short list of independent agents in Norwalk that can give you rate quotes.

V A Depanfilis Agency – 3 Main St – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 854-6514
Norwalk Agency Inc – 69 East Ave – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 866-1686
Bayliss Insurance – 152 East Ave – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 855-8148
Le May Agency Inc – 5 Eversley Ave # 105 – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 853-7973
Nationwide Insurance – 181 Main St – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 846-1500

To view a complete directory of licensed insurance agents in Norwalk, visit this site.

Once you have positive responses to your questions and a low price estimate, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that can provide auto insurance coverage. Keep in mind consumers can cancel your policy at any point so never feel that you are obligated to a policy for any length of time.

Auto insurance coverage specifics

Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the normal coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Medical expense coverage – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for expenses such as prosthetic devices, surgery and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Uninsured or underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many Connecticut drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (20/40/10), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

Collision coverages – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision can pay for things such as sideswiping another vehicle, driving through your garage door, hitting a parking meter and colliding with another moving vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Liability coverages – This coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have 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.

Liability coverage pays for claims like legal defense fees, structural damage, funeral expenses, emergency aid and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible. Connecticut requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/10,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a broken windshield, falling objects and damage from getting keyed. The maximum amount your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

And the best car insurance company is…

Low-cost auto insurance can be purchased both online and also from your neighborhood Norwalk agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we presented a lot of information how to get a better price on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from an unexpected company. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas compared to the large companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

When trying to cut insurance costs, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price.

For more Connecticut car insurance information

Additional detailed information can be found at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Connecticut consumers can view a list of available companies, read consumer alerts, report car insurance fraud, and find out industry alerts.