Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Meadville, PA? Here’s How to Save!

Expensive auto insurance can drain your personal savings and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around is free and is an excellent way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

Big companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm all claim big savings, bombarding you with advertising and it is difficult to ignore the flashy ads and do the work needed to find the best deal.

You need to check auto insurance prices periodically since insurance rates fluctuate regularly. Just because you had the best price a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re going to learn the best way to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Finding the best rates in Meadville is not rocket science. Nevertheless, Pennsylvania car owners can benefit from knowing the methods companies use to determine prices.

Compare Auto Insurance Today

All major auto insurance companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO allow you to get price estimates directly from their websites. Getting online quotes doesn’t take much effort as you simply type in your personal and coverage information as detailed in the form. After you complete the form, the system makes automated requests for credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on these factors. Being able to quote online makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit different websites and fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it is imperative to get many rate quotes if you want to find better auto insurance pricing.

The easiest way to lower your rates is to use a quote form to get prices from several companies at one time. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online shopping much simpler. Immediately after you send the form, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the quote results.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. This process just takes a couple of minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.

In order to find out how much you’re overpaying now, click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you input exactly as shown on your declarations page. Doing this assures you will have rate quotes using the same coverage and limits.

Do you qualify for discounts?

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically at the time you complete a quote, but a few must be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit.

• Payment Method – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
• Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
• Military Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
• Theft Prevention System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance from them.

Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky. Any amount of discount will cut your overall premium however.

To choose providers with discount auto insurance rates in Meadville, click here to view.

What about my local Meadville agents?

Certain consumers prefer to sit down with an agent and that is just fine! The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find the best rates but still work with a licensed agent. And providing support for local businesses is especially important in Meadville.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this simple form, your insurance data is emailed to local insurance agents in Meadville who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no need to drive around since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. It doesn’t get any easier! Get lower rates AND an agent nearby.

Best car insurance agent in Meadville

When finding a good Meadville insurance agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents from which to choose. Meadville agents are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive.

Independent Agents

These agents are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage amongst many companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When comparison shopping, you should always get quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to have the most options to choose from.

Below are Meadville independent insurance agents that can give you comparison quotes.

Pierce Agency – 15957 Conneaut Lake Rd # 12 – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 724-4014
B J Petruso Agency and Assoc Inc – 568 Washington St – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 724-4000
Richard Pitts Agency – 800 N Main St – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 337-8222
First National Insurance Agcy – 704 N Main St – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 724-4850
Jeffrey M Byham Insurance – 564 Chestnut St – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 724-1680

Agency Captives

Captive agents have only one company to place business with such as American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captives receive extensive training on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.

Listed below is a list of captive agents in Meadville willing to provide comparison quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 16271 Conneaut Lake Rd # 103 – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 337-5107
State Farm Insurance – 16709 Conneaut Lake Rd – Meadville, PA 16335 – (814) 724-1028

For a full directory of captive insurance agents in Meadville, simply jump to this page.

Choosing a car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
• Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
• Does the agency support the community they serve?
• Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
• If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
• How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?

After receiving answers to your satisfaction to your questions and an affordable coverage quote, you’ve probably found a car insurance agent that is a good match to properly insure your vehicles.

When might I need an agent?

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Every insured’s situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions can help discover if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
• How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Pennsylvania?
• Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
• Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Meadville?
• Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
• Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
• How much liability coverage do I need in Pennsylvania?
• Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
• Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
• What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

Lower your Meadville Auto Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. Understanding what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate premiums.

• Do you know you’re credit rating? – Credit score is a huge factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. If your credit is lower than you’d like, you could save money insuring your by repairing your credit. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
• Battle of the sexes – Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes have accidents at about the same rate, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
• Multi-policy discounts can save money – Many companies give discounts to policyholders who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s in your best interest to compare rates to ensure the best deal. You may still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
• Your car’s features help determine rates – Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping auto theft.
• A lapse in coverage is a bad thing – Driving your car without having proper coverage is illegal and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will insurance be more expensive, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you a steep fine or even jail time.
• How your age affects price – Teen drivers in Pennsylvania tend to be careless and easily distracted when driving so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Having to add a youthful driver to your policy can break the bank. More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
• More performance means more cost – The make and model of the car you own makes a huge difference in determining your rates. The cheapest insurance rates tend to be for small economy passenger models, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
• Liability insurance protects assets – Liability coverage provides coverage in the event that you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide legal defense coverage starting from day one. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.

Don’t listen to company ads

Companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO regularly use ads on television and other media. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you move to their company. But how can every company make the same claim?

All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a preferred risk could possibly be a mature driver, a clean driving record, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Drivers who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile must pay a higher premium and ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why you absolutely need to get as many comparisons as possible. Because you never know which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

In conclusion

Cheap auto insurance is possible both online in addition to many Meadville insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best selection. A few companies do not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just read a lot of ways to get a better price on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate and Progressive.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.

Additional reading for auto insurance information

Much more information about auto insurance in Pennsylvania can be found on the website for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department located here. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, learn about specific coverages, and find a variety of consumer forms.

Other informative sites include this site for rates in Pennsylvania and this list of insurance agents in Meadville, PA.