Learn the Secrets to Lower Bloomington Minnesota Car Insurance

Feel like you’re a prisoner to overpriced car insurance? Trust us, you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. Drivers have multiple car insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s a good thing to have a choice, having more insurance companies makes it harder to locate the cheapest rates.

Buying the best protection in Bloomington is not that difficult. If you have a current car insurance policy or need a new policy, you will benefit by learning to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Minnesota drivers just need to understand the most effective way to compare prices online.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings.

Do men or women drive better? – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI.
Claim-free discounts can add up – Auto insurance companies in Minnesota give better rates to people who file claims infrequently. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Insurance coverage is designed for larger claims.
Multiple policies with one company can save – Most insurance companies provide better rates to people who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it’s in your best interest to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find better rates by splitting coverages up.
Careful drivers pay lower rates – Your driving record has a huge affect on how much you pay. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Just one citation may increase your cost forty percent or more. Drivers who get severe violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
Lower rates come with age – Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Young drivers have a tendency to get distracted easily in a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Your location affects your rates – Being located in small towns and rural areas can save you money when it comes to car insurance. Drivers who live in large cities regularly have traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
Do you have a high stress job? – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like real estate brokers, executives and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates due to job stress and long work hours. Other professions such as farmers, historians and performers have the lowest average rates.
Better credit means lower rates – Credit score is a big factor in calculating your car insurance rates. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than those with lower credit scores. If your credit history is low, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.

Finding Car Insurance Deals in Bloomington, Minnesota

Reducing your insurance rates can be relatively painless. Just take a few minutes to compare rate quotes online from several insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

The first (and easiest) way consumers can analyze rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison click here to open form in new window. This type of form eliminates the need for boring form submissions for every car insurance company. One form submission gets you coverage quotes from car insurance companies with the best prices.
A slightly less efficient method to obtain and compare quotes online is to manually visit the website of each company and fill out their own quote form. For example, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive. To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Bloomington, click here.
The least efficient method to compare rates to insurance agents’ offices. Shopping for car insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the trained guidance of a local agent. It is possible to price shop your coverage online but buy from a local insurance agent and we’ll touch on that later.

It’s up to you which method you use, but double check that you are using apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles with each company. If each company quotes mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Bloomington.

Do you qualify for a discount?

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply when you get a quote, but a few must be asked about before you get the savings. If you’re not getting every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.

Pay Upfront and Save – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
College Student – Kids in college who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
Save with a New Car – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Accident Forgiveness – A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
Discount for Good Grades – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you will save at least 10% off all policies.

Drivers should understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way. But all discounts will cut the cost of coverage.

To choose insurance companies who offer car insurance discounts in Bloomington, click here to view.

What about using a local agent?

A small number of people would rather sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Insurance agents can answer important questions and help you file claims. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is that you can obtain the best rates but still work with a licensed agent. And providing support for local businesses is important particularly in Bloomington.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this simple form, the quote information is transmitted to companies in Bloomington who will return price quotes for your business. You won’t need to leave your computer due to the fact that quote results will go to the email address you provide. How cool is that?!

Bloomington car insurance agents come in two flavors

When looking for a reliable agent, there are a couple of different agency structures to choose from. Bloomington agents are categorized either independent or captive. Both types can write coverage properly, but it’s good to learn how they are different since it can impact the type of agent you choose

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to get quotes from at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection.

Below are independent agencies in Bloomington that can give you price quotes.

Sentry Insurance Co – 4533 Heritage Hills Cir – Bloomington, MN 55437 – (952) 806-9975
Emerald Insurance – 8933 Lyndale Ave S # 201 – Bloomington, MN 55420 – (952) 884-1241
Ronald Cherry Agency – 8400 Lyndale Ave S – Bloomington, MN 55420 – (952) 835-1188
Gillette Agency Inc – 8900 Penn Ave S # 306 – Bloomington, MN 55431 – (952) 884-6772
Advance Agency – 5241 Viking Dr – Bloomington, MN 55435 – (952) 842-1156

Captive Agents

These agents can only write with one company and some examples include Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agencies are trained well on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Below are Bloomington captive agencies that can give you price quote information.

Farmers Insurance Group – 3500 W 80th St # 33 – Bloomington, MN 55431 – (952) 896-3808
American Family Insurance – 9927 Lyndale Ave S – Bloomington, MN 55420 – (952) 888-1445
State Farm Insurance – 1020 W 80th St – Bloomington, MN 55420 – (612) 869-0400
Allstate Insurance – 2626 E 82nd St – Bloomington, MN 55425 – (952) 854-3509

For a complete listing of car insurance agents in Bloomington, please view this page.

Selecting an insurance agency requires more thought than just the bottom line cost. These are valid questions to ask:

Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
What insurance companies do they work with?
Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
What insurance company do they write the most business with?
Do they make recommendations based only on price?

After receiving positive responses to your questions and an acceptable price quote, chances are good that you have found an auto insurance agent that will service your policy.

What is the best insurance coverage?

When choosing adequate coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions may help you determine whether you might need an agent’s assistance.

Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
Am I getting all the discounts available?
Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.

Much more information about car insurance in Minnesota can be read on the website for the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Click here for link. Minnesota consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find disaster information, and find out industry alerts.

Smart consumers save more

Affordable car insurance is definitely available on the web and also from your neighborhood Bloomington agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. A few companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

When buying insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where someone dropped full coverage to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.