Overpriced car insurance can overdraw your bank account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparing price quotes is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. With so many companies to choose from, it can be impossible to pick the cheapest provider.
Choosing the best insurance company for you in Elko is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. Nevada vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to get comparison rates online.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Auto insurance companies do not list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
- Discount for Good Grades – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
- Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Own a Home – Owning a home in Elko may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
- Paperless Signup – A few companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child complete a driver education course if it’s offered in school.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies with one insurance company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
It’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck.
To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Elko, click here to view.
Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper
Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in big savings.
Listed below are a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine premiums.
- Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates – Allowing your coverage to lapse will be a quick way to pay more for car insurance. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you a license revocation or jail time.You may have to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the Nevada department of motor vehicles.
- Careful drivers pay lower rates – Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. Just one citation can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Drivers with dangerous tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Better crash test results mean better rates – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you.
- Lower rates with optional equipment – Owning a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Theft prevention devices like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent your car from being stolen.
- Clean credit earns discounts – Having a bad credit rating is a big factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. Therefore, if your credit rating can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
- Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Occupations like doctors, business owners and financial analysts tend to have higher average rates attributed to job stress and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, occupations like scientists, engineers and the unemployed receive lower rates.
- The more you drive the more you pay – Driving more miles in a year’s time the more you will pay for car insurance. The majority of insurers apply a rate based on their usage. Cars left parked in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your car insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money.
- Men are more aggressive – Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men have accidents in similar numbers, but men have costlier accidents. Men also receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and thus pay the highest rates.
When might I need an agent?
When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether your personal situation may require specific advice.
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
- When should I not file a claim?
- What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
To learn more about car insurance in Nevada
More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Nevada Division of Insurance website. Nevada drivers can find out industry alerts, find disaster information, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
Other informative sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this resource to find Elko, NV insurance agents.
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
Cheap car insurance is possible online in addition to many Elko insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies do not provide online quoting and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can lower your car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with the least-expected company. These companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.
As you shop your coverage around, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to find out they didn’t have enough coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.