Easy Techniques to Spend Less on Prattville, AL Car Insurance

Finding affordable Prattville car insurance can seem to be difficult for people who are new to shopping for insurance online. Drivers have so many options available that it can easily become a ton of work to find lower rates in Prattville.

It’s a good idea to compare prices quite often because rates tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal two years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Don’t believe everything you read about car insurance on the internet, so we’re going to give you some great ideas on how to quit paying high car insurance rates.

If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these techniques to cut your premiums and possibly find even better coverage. The purpose of this article is to teach you how to get online quotes and some money-saving tips. Alabama drivers just need to know the most effective way to get comparison rates on the web.

Buy Cheaper Car Insurance with These Tips

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to better car insurance rates.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces car insurance companies consider when setting prices.

No coverage gaps is important – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a quick way to trigger a rate increase. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may then be required to file a SR-22 with the Alabama department of motor vehicles.
Small claims can cost you – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to higher rates. Insurance companies in Alabama generally give better rates to people who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is intended for larger claims.
High credit ratings translate to low rates – Having a bad credit history is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit is not that good, you could pay less to insure your by improving your rating. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit scores.
Battle of the sexes – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the males cause more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.

Don’t overlook these discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of purchase, but some must be asked for before they will apply. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
More Vehicles More Savings – Having multiple cars or trucks on one policy qualifies for this discount.
Accident Forgiveness – Some insurance companies allow you one accident before your rates go up if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
Resident Student – Kids in college who are attending college and do not have a car may be able to be covered for less.
Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to complete a driver education course in school.

It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down the cost of coverage.

Neighborhood agents for car insurance

Some consumers would rather get advice from a local agent. Professional agents can point out coverage gaps and help you file claims. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. And supporting small agencies is especially important in Prattville.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is immediately sent to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your coverage. You won’t need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. It doesn’t get any easier!

Two different types of auto insurance agents

When researching a good Prattville insurance agent, there are two different agency structures that you can select. Insurance agencies in Prattville are either captive or independent (non-captive). While both can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning the difference between them since it may influence buying decisions. Prattville insurance cheap

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, you should always include multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from. They often place coverage with smaller companies which can be an advantage.

The following is a list of independent agents in Prattville willing to provide competitive price quotes.

Davenport Agency – 1288 E Main St # B – Prattville, AL 36066 – (334) 358-1344
Alfa Insurance Corp – 960 E Main St – Prattville, AL 36066 – (334) 365-7357
D and A Insurance – 914 S Memorial Dr – Prattville, AL 36067 – (334) 491-8701

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agents have only one company to place business with like State Farm, AAA and Liberty Mutual. Captives cannot compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage. Consumers sometimes buy from captive agents mainly due to loyalty to the company and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.

Shown below is a list of captive agencies in Prattville that can give you price quote information.

State Farm Insurance – 1300 E Main St – Prattville, AL 36066 – (334) 365-1300
Farmers Insurance Group – 1345 S Memorial Dr # A – Prattville, AL 36066 – (334) 361-8111

To view a full list of captive agencies in Prattville, please click here.

Picking an insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

Who are their largest clients?
Is assistance available after office hours?
Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
What insurance company do they write the most business with?

Upon getting positive feedback and an acceptable price quote, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that will adequately provide car insurance.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers in Alabama constantly see and hear ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all make an identical promise that you can save after switching your coverage to them.

How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a preferred risk might be profiled as over the age of 50, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Consumers who fall outside the “perfect” profile will be quoted higher prices and ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Online resources for education

More information can be found on the Alabama Department of Insurance website through this link. Alabama drivers can file complaints about a company, find out industry alerts, and get help finding coverage.

Shop smart and save

Cost effective car insurance is attainable online as well as from independent agents in Prattville, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. Some car insurance companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

We covered a lot of information how to shop for car insurance online. 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 most savings is with an unexpected company.

Insureds who switch companies do it for many reasons like delays in paying claims, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, lack of trust in their agent or questionable increases in premium. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new insurance company is less work than it seems.