Buy Lewes Car Insurance for Less Money With These Tips

Using the web to shop for Lewes car insurance can seem like an uphill battle if you’ve never compared quoting online. But don’t let that discourage you because there is an easy way to compare rates.

You should take the time to shop coverage around yearly since rates change quite often. If you had the lowest rates a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the easiest way to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

How to Compare Car Insurance Costs in Lewes, Delaware

There are several ways you can shop for car insurance but some are easier and takes less work. You could spend the better part of a day driving to agents in Lewes, or you could use the internet to get pricing more quickly.

Most of the larger companies participate in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and each company can provide price quotes determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests to each company. To access this free quoting program, click here to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to pricing coverage this way is you are unable to specify the companies to receive prices from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we have a page of companies who write car insurance in Delaware. Click here for list of insurance companies in Delaware.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just be sure to compare exactly the same coverages and limits for each comparison quote. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits you can’t possibly find the best deal in Lewes. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits can result in a big premium difference. It’s important to know that comparing more company’s prices provides better odds of finding a lower rate.

Discounts are basically free money

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but companies offer discounts to help offset the cost. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of quoting, but a few must be asked for before you get the savings.

Homeowners Pay Less – Being a homeowner can save you money because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
Resident Student – Youth drivers who are attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance.
Accident Free – Claim-free drivers pay less when compared to frequent claim filers.
Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.

It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your premiums.

To choose providers offering car insurance discounts in Delaware, follow this link. save money in Lewes

Components of your insurance rates

It’s important that you understand the factors that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

The list below includes some of the factors used by your company to calculate rates.

Sex matters – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women have accidents in similar numbers, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and thus pay the highest rates.
Older drivers save more – Teen drivers in Delaware tend to be less responsible when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Older insureds tend to be more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates – Allowing your car insurance policy to lapse is a fast way to bump up your car insurance costs. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may need to file a SR-22 with the Delaware department of motor vehicles.
Being married can save on car insurance – Having a spouse can actually save you money when buying car insurance. Having a spouse usually means you are more mature than a single person and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability insurance provides coverage if ever you are found to be at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
One company can mean more discounts – Most insurers give discounts to insureds who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can be five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s still a good idea to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.

Which insurance is the “right” coverage?

When choosing adequate coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

For instance, these questions may help highlight if you might need professional guidance.

Am I getting all the discounts available?
Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?
What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?
Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
How high should my medical payments coverage be?
Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form.

More information is available on the Delaware Department of Insurance website located here. Delaware consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, file complaints about a company, and view agent and company licensing information.

Don’t be fooled by advertising claims

Companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads on television and other media. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you change to their company. But how can every company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer might be between 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and therefore will cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements will have to pay a higher premium and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can claim big savings.

Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to get as many quotes as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Keep this in mind

People change insurance companies for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, not issuing a premium refund, being labeled a high risk driver and policy cancellation. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a great new company can be pretty painless.

In this article, we covered quite a bit of information on how to lower your car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with a small local company.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, an insured cut collision coverage only to regret at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price.