Paying for high-priced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your bank account, especially in this economy. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to tighten up your finances. Since consumers have many insurance companies to choose from, it’s difficult to find the most cost effective insurance company.
Informed Drivers can Cut Their Rates
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get big savings.
- More people means more accidents – Choosing to live in less populated areas can be a good thing when buying auto insurance. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents. Drivers in populated Nevada areas tend to have much more traffic to deal with and longer commute times. Longer commute distances can result in more accidents.
- What type of vehicle do you drive? – The performance of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in your rates. The lowest rates tend to be for lower performance four cylinder passenger cars, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- How credit affects auto insurance rates – Credit score is a important factor in determining your rates. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with poor credit. If your credit rating is low, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
- Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Some companies will give a discount to people who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, you still need to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
- Equipment add-ons that lower auto insurance rates – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
These discounts can slash auto insurance rates
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about prior to getting the savings. If you’re not getting every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accidents.
- Own a Home – Owning a house in Mesquite may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.
- Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive a discount up to 10%.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Claim Free – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts when compared to frequent claim filers.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Paperless Signup – A few companies give back up to $50 simply for signing online.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
When might I need the advice of an agent?
When it comes to buying the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions can aid in determining if your insurance needs could use an agent’s help.
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- What are Nevada no-fault laws?
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- What are the financial responsibility laws in Nevada?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in Nevada?
- Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
More consumer information in Nevada
Much more information about auto insurance in Nevada is located on the website for the Nevada Division of Insurance through this link. Nevada drivers can get help finding coverage, learn about insurance regulations, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
Do the work, save more money
As you shop your coverage around, it’s very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford.
We just presented some good ideas how to get a better price on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.