Methods for Effectively Comparing Fountain Hills, AZ Car Insurance Rates

Using the web to shop for Fountain Hills car insurance can seem complicated if you’ve never compared online rate quotes. But don’t be discouraged because there is an easy way to compare rates.

It’s a good habit to get comparison quotes every six months because insurance rates change regularly. Just because you found the best price two years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the quickest way to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Cost in Fountain Hills

Finding a lower price on insurance can be quick and easy. You just need to invest a little time getting comparison quotes online with multiple companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

The most efficient way consumers can make multiple comparisons would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for each company. One form submission gets you price quotes from many national carriers. It’s the fastest way to compare.

Another way to shop for car insurance online is going to each company website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want to compare rates from Allstate, GEICO and GMAC. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website and enter your information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in Fountain Hills, click here.

The hardest method of comparing rate quotes is to spend time driving to insurance agents’ offices. Shopping for car insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you want the personal advice of a licensed agent. However, consumers can find lower rates online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll talk about that later.

However you get your quotes, make sure you use exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If your comparisons have unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be next to impossible to determine which rate is truly the best in Fountain Hills.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that help determine car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to big savings.

Type of vehicle determines base rates – The performance of the vehicle you are insuring makes a huge difference in your rates. The cheapest insurance rates are generally reserved for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if ever you are found liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
How your age affects price – Youthful drivers in Arizona tend to be careless and easily distracted when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Older insureds are more cautious drivers, tend to cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
Women pay lower rates – Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. Women and men have accidents at a similar rate, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.
Your credit rating is important – Having a bad credit rating is a large factor in your rate calculation. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with poor credit. So if your credit can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
An active claims history can cost you – Auto insurance companies in Arizona give lower rates to drivers who file claims infrequently. If you frequently file small claims, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Insurance coverage is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Some car insurance companies provide better rates to insureds who consolidate policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can be ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. If you currently are using one company, you still need to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.

Take advantage of discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but there are discounts available that you may not even be aware of. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
Resident Student – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
Accident Forgiveness – Some insurance companies allow you one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
Save with a New Car – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will cut your premiums.

To see a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in Fountain Hills, click here.

You are unique and your car insurance should be too

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s. Fountain Hills AZ car insurance quote

For example, these questions may help you determine if your situation would benefit from professional advice.

What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.

Aren’t my neighborhood agents an option?

Certain consumers would prefer to get advice from a local agent. Licensed agents can answer important questions and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain better rates and still have an agent to talk to. Supporting local agencies is definitely important in Fountain Hills.

Once you complete this simple form, your coverage information is immediately sent to participating agents in Fountain Hills who will give you bids for your coverage. You won’t need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How’s that for easy!

Choose an insurance agent wisely

When looking for a local agent, there are two different agency structures to choose from. Agencies in Fountain Hills are categorized either independent or captive. While both can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know the difference between them since it may influence your selection of an agent.

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, the agent simply finds a different carrier and that require little work on your part.

When searching for an agent, it’s a good idea to include multiple independent agents to get the best comparison.Many can place coverage with different regional companies which can save you money.

Shown below are Fountain Hills independent agents willing to provide pricing information.

Perico Insurance – 16712 E Avenue Of The Fountain – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 837-0800
Fountain Hills Insurance – 13034 N Verde River Dr # 102 – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 837-1111
Paulsrud Agency – 13239 N LA Montana Dr # 103b – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 816-1855

Captive Agents

Captive agents work for only one company such as Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They generally cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agents receive extensive training on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some people will only buy insurance from these agents partially due to high brand loyalty and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.

Shown below are Fountain Hills captive insurance agencies who can help you get rate quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 16715 E Palisades Blvd # 104 – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 837-0266
Farmers Insurance Group – 11803 N Saguaro Blvd – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 315-1180
State Farm Insurance – 16921 E Palisades Blvd # 107 – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 837-1616
American Family Insurance – 16743 E Palisades Blvd # 103 – Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 – (480) 836-8600

For a full directory of Fountain Hills captive agents, please click here.

Deciding on an auto insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap price. Agents should be asked these questions:

Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
Who are their largest clients?
What insurance companies do they work with?
Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Arizona?

After receiving reasonable responses to all your questions as well as a affordable price, most likely you have located an insurance agency that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.

In Summary

Consumers leave their current company for any number of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, being labeled a high risk driver, not issuing a premium refund or even delays in paying claims. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new car insurance company can be pretty painless.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier.

Cheaper car insurance can be purchased both online and also from your neighborhood Fountain Hills agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not provide online quoting and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

To find out more about Arizona car insurance

More information is available on the Arizona Department of Insurance website found here. Consumers can read industry bulletins, discover disciplinary actions, and read state legal mandates and laws.