Little Known Advice on Saving Money on Columbus Georgia Auto Insurance

Sick and tired of scraping the payment together to insure your vehicles every month? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in Georgia.

There are many car insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, having more car insurance companies makes it harder to find the best rates for your vehicles.

It’s a good idea to compare rates periodically because insurance rates trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the best rates six months ago you can probably find a better price now. You can find a lot of wrong information about auto insurance online but we’re going to give you a lot of great tips on how to quit paying high auto insurance rates.

Low Cost Columbus Auto Insurance

There are several ways to compare rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. By far the easiest way to compare insurance prices is to perform an online rate comparison. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

1. One of the best ways consumers can make multiple comparisons is an all-inclusive rate comparison click here to open form in new window. This method eliminates the need for a different quote for every auto insurance company. Completing one form will return price quotes from auto insurance companies with the best prices.
2. A more difficult way to get quotes online is to manually visit each individual company website and request a quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want rates from Auto-Owners, Liberty Mutual and Allstate. You would have to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is quicker.

   To view a list of companies in Columbus, click here.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but compare exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits on every quote you get. If you use different limits and deductibles on each one it will be very difficult to determine the best auto insurance price in Columbus, GA. Slightly different coverages may cause a big price difference. And when comparison shopping, quoting more gives you a better chance of getting a better price.

More discounts equal less premium

Car insurance companies don’t always advertise every discount in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the more common and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings.

• Anti-lock Brake System – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
• Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
• Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
• Clubs and Organizations – Participating in a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance.
• Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
• Paperwork-free – Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up online.
• Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accident claims.
• Accident Waiver – A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
• Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, it just doesn’t work that way.

For a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Columbus, click this link.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

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

• Discounts for married couples – Having a spouse can get you a discount on your policy. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and it’s statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.
• Poor credit can mean higher rates – Your credit score is a big factor in determining your rates. Therefore, if your credit score is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your by repairing your credit. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than drivers with poor credit.
• Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are many extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages like roadside assistance, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good at first, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
• Always keep insurance in force – Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse will be a quick way to increase your auto insurance rates. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a steep fine or even jail time.Then you may be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the Georgia motor vehicle department.
• Drive a safer car and pay less – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts passed on to you as lower rates.
• Don’t sacrifice liability coverage – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.
• Your location is important – Residing in a rural area is a positive aspect when talking about auto insurance. Urban drivers regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
• Bundling policies can get discounts – Many auto insurance companies will give a discount to people who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even though this discount sounds good, you may still want to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal.

More detailed Georgia auto insurance information is located at the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, discover disciplinary actions, and read consumer alerts.

Other informative sites include this resource for Georgia auto insurance prices and this list of insurance agents in Columbus.

Buy online or local, you save

As you prepare to switch companies, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

Lower-priced auto insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Columbus, and you should be comparing both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.