Is Your Puyallup, WA Car Insurance Too High?

Consumers who are new to the process of price shopping insurance online might discover shopping for the cheapest Puyallup car insurance is more work than they anticipated.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces that factor into rates.

Car features impact rates – Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Theft prevention features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping car theft.
Don’t let your coverage lapse – Letting your insurance expire is a guaranteed way to bump up your car insurance costs. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you a license revocation or jail time.
High crash test scores lower rates – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company passed on to you as lower rates.
More claims means more premium – If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Companies in Washington award discounts to policyholders who do not file claims often. Car insurance is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
Please use or commuting – Driving more miles in a year’s time the higher your rate. Almost all companies apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your car insurance coverage properly reflects the proper vehicle usage.
Is your vehicle built for speed? – The make and model of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in determining your rates. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars receive the most favorable rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
Do you have a high stress job? – Occupations such as lawyers, business owners and stock brokers have the highest rates because of stressful work requirements and long work days. On the other hand, occupations like actors, students and the unemployed get better rates.

Do you qualify for a discount?

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Most are applied when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

Student in College – Youth drivers living away from home attending college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with one insurance company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.
Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you may qualify for better car insurance rates.
Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for all your vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.
Anti-theft System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will bring down your premiums.

To see a list of insurance companies offering car insurance discounts in Washington, click this link.

Beware of misleading car insurance ads

Washington drivers can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. All the ads make the same claim about savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How does each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as a mature driver, a clean driving record, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who fall outside the requirements will have to pay higher rates and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. It’s impossible to know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

What coverages do I need?

When buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Every insured’s situation is different.

For example, these questions could help you determine whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.

Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
Am I covered when driving a rental car?
Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form. It’s fast, free and can help protect your family.

Consumer car insurance information in Washington

More information is located on the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website through this link. Consumers can download brochures, find out which companies have the most complaints, and get help finding coverage.

A little work can save a LOT of money

Cheap car insurance is definitely available both online in addition to many Puyallup insurance agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies do not provide 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, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.

In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.