Car Insurance in Stevensville – 7 Discounts to Lower Rates

Finding affordable Stevensville car insurance is always hard for consumers not familiar with comparing rates online. You have so many choices that it can easily become a ton of work to find the best price in Stevensville.

Locating more affordable coverage in Stevensville is quite easy. In a nutshell, every vehicle owner who carries car insurance most likely will be able to cut their insurance bill. Nevertheless, Montana drivers do need to learn how the larger insurance companies price insurance differently.

Car Insurance Prices in Stevensville, Montana

Comparing car insurance rates can be a daunting task if you don’t know the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking to local insurance agents in Stevensville, or you could use the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

The majority of car insurance companies enroll in a system that enables customers to only type in their quote data once, and each company can give them a price for coverage. This eliminates the need for quote forms to every company.

To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.

The single downside to getting quotes like this is you don’t know exactly the providers you want pricing from. If you would rather choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Montana. Click here for list of insurance companies in Montana.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but be sure to compare apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you have different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to decipher which rate is best in Stevensville. Slightly different insurance coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when price shopping your coverage, quoting more gives you a better chance of getting the best rates.

These seven discounts can lower your rates

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there are discounts available that you may not even be aware of. Most are applied when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit.

• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
• Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles can earn a substantially lower rate.
• New Car Discount – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
• Clubs and Organizations – Affiliation with a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
• Anti-lock Brake System – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
• Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
• Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount with a few car insurance companies.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will cut your overall premium however.

To choose providers who offer car insurance discounts in Stevensville, follow this link.

Local Stevensville agents and car insurance

Some consumers just want to talk to a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is you can get better rates but also keep your business local. And supporting small agencies is important particularly in Stevensville.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your coverage information is sent to local insurance agents in Stevensville who will battle for your coverage. You don’t have to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. You’ll get the best rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Choose an insurance agent wisely

When finding a good insurance agency, you need to know there are two different agency structures that you can select. Agencies in Stevensville are classified as either captive or independent.

Independent Agents

Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparison shopping, it’s recommended you include at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection. Most have the option of insuring with smaller companies which may provide better rates.

Listed below are independent insurance agencies in Stevensville that are able to give price quotes.

• Western States Insurance Inc – 212 Main St – Stevensville, MT 59870 – (406) 777-5005
• Potton Insurance – 221 Main St – Stevensville, MT 59870 – (406) 777-3626

Agency Captives

Captive agencies write business for a single company such as AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance and Allstate. They generally cannot compare other company’s rates so always compare other rates. Captive agencies are well schooled in insurance sales which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers often choose to use a captive agent mostly because of loyalty to the company and solid financial strength.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.findnewcarinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-105.jpg" alt="Stevensville Montana car insurance quote”/>

Selecting an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Here are some questions to ask:

• Do they make recommendations based only on price?
• Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
• Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
• Is working in the agency their full-time job?
• Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
• Can glass repairs be made at your home?
• How are claims handled?
• What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?

Once you have positive responses to all your questions and a low price estimate, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that is a good match to properly service your car insurance policy. But keep in mind you can always cancel coverage for any reason so don’t feel you’re contractually obligated to a specific agent for the entire policy term.

What coverages do I need?

When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your situation might need professional guidance.

• Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
• Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
• Am I getting all the discounts available?
• Should I buy only the required Montana minimum liability coverage?
• Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
• Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?

If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.

Car insurance policy specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Collision insurance

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against things such as backing into a parked car, damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail and sideswiping another vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Comprehensive protection

This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things like a broken windshield, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and falling objects. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Liability

Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as medical expenses, funeral expenses and emergency aid. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as much as you can afford. Montana state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (25/50/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for X-ray expenses, dental work and EMT expenses. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

More information can be read on the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance website through this link. Consumers can view a list of available companies, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, learn about specific coverages, and download brochures.

Additional helpful sites include BankRate.com’s Car Insurance: When not to Skimp and this list of insurance agents in Stevensville.

Final considerations

Low-cost car insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Stevensville agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, an insured dropped liability coverage limits and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the most savings is with a small local company.