Buy Tooele, UT Auto Insurance Like a Tightwad

Paying for high-priced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your savings account and make it impossible to make ends meet. Comparing price quotes is a smart way to tighten up your finances. Drivers have so many insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, it can be more difficult to find the lowest cost provider.

Finding affordable coverage in Tooele is not rocket science. If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Utah consumers just need to know the most efficient way to get comparison rates online.

Do you qualify for a discount?

Car insurance companies don’t list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down both the well known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

  • Safety Course Discount – Successfully completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current policy expires. It can save you around 10%.
  • Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less than less cautious drivers.
  • Accident Waiver – Certain companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
  • Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of companies with the best auto insurance discounts in Utah, click here.

What impacts Tooele insurance rates?

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.car insurance image

Listed below are some of the items that factor into prices.

  • Younger drivers pay higher rates – Older insureds are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations. Teen drivers are known to be more careless when behind the wheel and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
  • High credit ratings translate to low rates – Your credit rating is a huge factor in determining your rates. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with lower credit scores. Therefore, if your credit can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
  • Never allow your policy to lapse – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a quick way to bump up your auto insurance costs. And not only will insurance be more expensive, getting caught without coverage will get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may need to file a SR-22 with the Utah department of motor vehicles.
  • Poor driving leads to higher costs – Good drivers have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Even one citation can increase rates twenty percent or more. Drivers with dangerous tickets like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Low deductibles can be expensive – The deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay before your auto insurance pays a claim. Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply would be running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, or theft. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.

Can you really save that much by switching?

Utah consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings from companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you move your policy.

How does each company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a driver they prefer could be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives newer vehicles. A customer who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who don’t meet the requirements will be quoted a higher premium which leads to business not being written. The ads say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can state the savings. This emphasizes why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

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Utah insurance information

Even more information is located at the Utah Insurance Department website. Utah consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and discover disciplinary actions.

Online plus local equals savings

When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

We just covered a lot of techniques to save on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a small mutual company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like Allstate and Progressive.