Follow These Insider Methods for Lower Albany Oregon Car Insurance
Expensive car insurance can empty your savings account and force you to make sacrifices. Shopping your coverage around is a great way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket. Consumers have many insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, lots of choices makes it harder to compare company pricing.
You should take the time to check car insurance prices quite often because prices fluctuate regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates six months ago you can probably find a lower rate today. So forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the best way to save on car insurance.
Choosing the best insurance company for you in Albany is quite easy. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. Oregon drivers only need to know the most efficient way to compare prices online.
How to Compare Car Insurance Costs in Albany, OR
There are a variety of methods to compare car insurance prices but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking about coverages with insurance companies in Albany, or you could save time and use online quotes to get the quickest rates.
Many companies enroll in a system where insurance shoppers only type in their quote data once, and at least one company then gives them pricing based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do quote forms for each company you want a rate for.
To use this form to compare rates click here to start a free quote.
The one disadvantage to doing it this way is you are unable to specify which carriers you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Oregon. Click here for list of insurance companies in Oregon.
It’s up to you which method you use, but make darn sure you compare identical coverage limits with every price quote. If each company quotes different values for each quote it’s not possible to determine which rate is truly the best in Albany.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise every discount in an easy-to-find place, so we researched both well-publicized and the harder-to-find ways to save on car insurance. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Discount for New Cars – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
- Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up online.
- Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
- Accident Forgiveness – A few companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck.
For a list of providers who offer car insurance discounts in Albany, click this link.
Make smart decisions and save
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that help determine your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings.
The following are a partial list of the pieces car insurance companies consider when setting rates.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Most insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who have multiple policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to 10 percent or more. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still be able to find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
- Never let your coverage lapse – Driving without insurance is illegal and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.Then you may be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Oregon DMV.
- Poor credit can mean higher rates – Your credit rating is a important factor in your rate calculation. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower ratings. If your credit can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
- Older drivers pay less – Teen drivers in Oregon have a tendency to get distracted easily when driving so car insurance rates are higher. Parents adding a teen driver onto your car insurance can be quite pricey. More mature drivers are more responsible, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
- Car features impact rates – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping car theft.
- Protect your assets with liability insurance – Liability coverage is the protection in the event that a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense coverage starting from day one. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Save $452 a year. For real?
Oregon drivers can’t get away from ads for cheaper car insurance from the likes of State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all say the same thing of big savings after switching your coverage to them.
How can each company say the same thing?
All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a profitable customer could be over the age of 40, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save a lot of money.
Potential customers who fall outside this ideal profile will have to pay a higher premium which leads to business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. This is how companies can truthfully state the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
In conclusion
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to shop for car insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.
Even more information is available at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, get help finding coverage, download brochures, and find out industry alerts.
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