Are you a victim of high-priced car insurance? Believe me, many Brooklyn Center consumers feel financially strained by their car insurance policy. With consumers having so many choices of insurance companies, it is very difficult to find the lowest cost insurer.
You need to check car insurance prices every six months because insurance rates go up and down regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal a year ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is a lot of bad information regarding car insurance online, so we’re going to give you some excellent ideas to find affordable car insurance.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Some trigger automatically at the time you complete a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked about before they will apply. If you don’t get every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your medical payments premium.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
- Homeowners Discount – Owning a home in Brooklyn Center may trigger a car insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
- Save over 55 – Older drivers may be able to get reduced rates.
- Memberships – Belonging to certain professional organizations may earn a discount when buying car insurance.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
- Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay much less compared to frequent claim filers.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
- Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application digitally online.
- Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.
Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Brooklyn Center, MN
Finding a lower price on insurance is a fairly straight forward process. All that’s required is to take time to compare quotes from different insurance companies. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- One of the best ways to get quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison click to view form in new window. This type of form prevents you from having to do separate quotes for each company. One simple form will get you price quotes from all major companies.
- A different way to analyze rates requires a trip to the website for each individual company and request a quote. For instance, we’ll assume you want rates from Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and Progressive. You would have to go to every website to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in Brooklyn Center, click here.
However you get your quotes, double check that you are using exactly the same coverages with every price quote. If you have higher or lower deductibles it will be impossible to find the best deal in Brooklyn Center.
Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that play a part in calculating car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.
Shown below are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate rates.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – The majority of companies will give a discount to people who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even with this discount, it’s in your best interest to shop around to ensure the best deal.
- Do you know your deductibles? – Physical damage deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims could be running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and burglary. The more expense you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Theft deterrents lower rates – Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
- Do you need those extra coverages? – There are a lot of add-on coverages that can waste your money on your car insurance policy. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them get rid of them and save.
- Your credit rating is important – A driver’s credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. Drivers with excellent credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records as compared to drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit history is low, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your credit score.
- You might want pay the small claims yourself – If you frequently file small claims, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance companies in Minnesota give discounts to policyholders who do not file claims often. Car insurance is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
When should I talk to an agent?
When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
- Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Minnesota?
- Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
- Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Brooklyn Center?
- Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
- When should I not file a claim?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
- What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.
Shop smart and save
When shopping online for car insurance, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, someone dropped collision coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
We just showed you a lot of information how to lower your car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with a small mutual company. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.
Additional resources for Minnesota consumers
Additional information is located on the website for the Minnesota Department of Commerce located here. Visitors are able to download brochures, report car insurance fraud, find a variety of consumer forms, and view a list of available companies.
Additional helpful sites include Wikipedia and CarInsuranceDIY.com.