How to Know You’re Paying Too Much for Car Insurance in Starkville

I can’t think of a single person who cherishes buying car insurance, particularly when their premiums are too high.

Insurance companies such as State Farm and GEICO constantly bombard you with fancy advertisements and it is difficult to see past the corporate glitz and take the time to shop coverage around.

Lower your Starkville Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what influences your rates enables informed choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

• Drive less and save money – The higher the mileage driven each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks left parked in the garage get more affordable rates than those used for commuting. Make sure your car insurance declarations sheet is rated on the correct usage for each vehicle.
• Your spouse saves you money – Being married helps lower the price on car insurance. It means you’re more responsible and it’s proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
• What are your deductibles? – The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered would be colliding with a building, damage from fire, or theft. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the bigger discount you will receive.
• Where you live can impact rates – Choosing to live in small towns and rural areas has it’s advantages when talking about car insurance. Drivers who live in large cities tend to have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
• Add-on coverages can add up – There are many extra bells and whistles you can purchase if you aren’t careful. Coverages for roadside assistance, better glass coverage and term life insurance may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.

Finding Car Insurance Deals in Starkville, MS

Shopping for lower car insurance rates can be a lot of work if you aren’t aware of the easiest way. You could waste time discussing policy coverages with agents in Starkville, or you could use the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Most major companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers only type in their quote data once, and each participating company then gives them pricing determined by their information. This eliminates the need for form submissions for each company you want a rate for.

To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).

The single downside to comparing rates this way is that consumers can’t choose which companies you want to price. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare rates, we put together a list of companies who write car insurance in Mississippi. View list of Mississippi insurance companies.

Which method you use is up to you, but make sure you use identical deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you are comparing different limits and deductibles on each one it will be next to impossible to make a fair comparison in Starkville. Slightly different limits can result in a big premium difference. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing more company’s prices helps you find lower pricing.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list all their discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using.

• New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
• Braking Control Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared to frequent claim filers.
• Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply up to age 25.
• Safety Course Discount – Completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
• Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in school.
• Discount for Swiching Early – Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.

It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way.

For a list of providers who offer car insurance discounts in Mississippi, click here.

Quote online but still have a local agent

Certain consumers would rather sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain lower rates but still work with a licensed agent.

By using this form (opens in new window), your information gets sent to participating agents in Starkville who will battle for your business. You never need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?! You can find better rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Picking an insurer needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Agents should be asked these questions:

• If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
• Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
• Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
• Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
• Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
• How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
• Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?

Shown below is a short list of insurance companies in Starkville that are able to give rate quotes.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Svc – 515 Academy Rd, Starkville, MS 39759 – (662) 323-4800
Starkville Insurance Inc – 307 E Main St, Starkville, MS 39759 – (662) 323-6914
Reynolds Insurance & Real Est – 307 E Main St, Starkville, MS 39759 – (662) 323-5550
State Farm Insurance – 600 Hogan St # 1c, Starkville, MS 39759 – (662) 323-8311
Direct General Ins Agency – 210 Highway 12 W # C, Starkville, MS 39759 – (662) 320-7033

After getting good answers to all your questions and a good coverage price, chances are good that you have found an insurer that is a good match to insure your vehicles.

More detailed Mississippi car insurance information is available at the Mississippi Insurance Department website. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, get help finding coverage, and file complaints about a company.

The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest

We just covered a lot of ways to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small mutual company. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

Discount car insurance can be sourced on the web as well as from independent agents in Starkville, so you should compare both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many cases, someone dropped liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate.