Expert Advice on Paying Less for Burlington North Carolina Car Insurance

If you’ve never shopped for car insurance online, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the hoards of online companies offering insurance in Burlington.

It’s a good habit to price shop coverage once or twice a year due to the fact that insurance rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. If you had the lowest rates a year ago you can probably find a better price now. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re going to learn the easiest way to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.

How to Buy Burlington Car Insurance Online

There are a lot of ways to shop for car insurance, but there is one way that is more efficient than others. You could waste time talking about coverages with insurance agencies in Burlington, or you can stay home and use online quotes to get the quickest rates.

Most car insurance companies participate in a marketplace where insurance shoppers only type in their quote data once, and each participating company then gives them pricing. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests for each company you want a rate for.

To get comparison pricing now click here to start a free quote.

The single downside to pricing coverage this way is buyers cannot specifically choose the insurers to receive prices from. If you would rather choose specific providers to request quotes from, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in North Carolina. Click here for list of insurance companies in North Carolina.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just be sure to compare the exact same coverage information for every quote you compare. If you compare mixed coverages it will be impossible to determine the best price in Burlington. Slightly different coverage limits may cause a big price difference. Just keep in mind that more quotes will increase your chances of finding lower pricing.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there are discounts available to help offset the cost. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but some must be manually applied before they will apply.

Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you may reduce your total bill.
Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
More Vehicles More Savings – Insuring multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts up to 30%.
Senior Citizens – Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
Government Employees – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with a few car insurance companies.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you could get a free car insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To choose providers with the best car insurance discounts in Burlington, follow this link.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.findnewcarinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-59.jpg" alt="lower rates in Burlington” />

Insurance agents can help

When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there is no best way to insure your cars. Each situation is unique.

For instance, these questions might help in determining if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.

When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
How high should my medical payments coverage be?
Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
When should I remove comp and collision on my vehicle?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in North Carolina?

If you can’t answer these questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.

Smart Buyers can Save Money

It’s important that you understand the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to big savings.

The list below includes some of the items used by your company to calculate prices.

Do you know you’re credit rating? – Having a bad credit history is a big factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by repairing your credit. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit scores.
Type of vehicle determines base rates – The type of car you drive makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. Small economy passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Jobs such as judges, business owners and dentists have the highest average rates in part from high stress levels and long work days. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and the unemployed get better rates.
Special features that cut premiums – Driving a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Don’t let your coverage lapse – Driving without insurance can get your license suspended and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance expire. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a revoked license or a big fine.Then you may be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the North Carolina motor vehicle department.

Do drivers who switch really save $426 a year?

State Farm, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim that you can save after switching to them. How can each company make almost identical claims?

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has great credit. Any new insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who are not a match for the “perfect” profile will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can make those claims.

This emphasizes why drivers must compare many company’s rates. It is impossible to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest

Insureds switch companies for many reasons like an unsatisfactory settlement offer, delays in responding to claim requests, being labeled a high risk driver and even delays in paying claims. Regardless of your reason, finding a new car insurance company can be pretty painless.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

Discount car insurance is available both online and with local Burlington insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

More information is available on the North Carolina Department of Insurance website through this link. North Carolina consumers can learn about insurance regulations, learn about specific coverages, find disaster information, and find a variety of consumer forms.