Strategies for Saving Money on Ridgefield Connecticut Auto Insurance Rates

Are you tired of scraping the payment together to pay your car insurance bill each month? You’re in the same situation as many other Connecticut drivers.

Companies like Allstate and Progressive continually bombard you with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Ridgefield is easy if you know what you’re doing. Nevertheless, Connecticut car owners do need to understand the way insurance companies price insurance differently and use this information to your advantage.

How to Get Auto Insurance in Ridgefield, Connecticut

All major auto insurance companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive quote coverage price quotes on their websites. Getting online rates is fairly straightforward as you just enter your required coverages as detailed in the form. Behind the scenes, the system obtains your credit score and driving record and provides a quote. Online quotes simplifies rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit different websites and complete many quote forms is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s very important to get many rate quotes in order to find the best price on auto insurance.

A less time-consuming method to compare rates uses one simple form that gets prices from more than one company. It’s a real time-saver, eliminates form submissions, and makes price shopping online much easier to do. Immediately after submitting the form, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the returned quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and purchase the new policy. This process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and can result in significant savings.

To find out how much you’re overpaying now, click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you input the limits and deductibles as close as possible to your current policy. This guarantees you will have rate comparison quotes based on identical coverages.

More discounts equal less premium

Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both the well known and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using.

• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accidents.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy auto and life insurance together.
• Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
• Employee of Federal Government – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
• Drivers Education – Cut your cost by having your teen driver complete a driver education course if it’s offered in school.
• Defensive Driving Course – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
• Senior Citizens – Older drivers may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
• Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on their website.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To choose companies with the best auto insurance discounts in Connecticut, click this link.

It’s not one size fits all

When buying proper insurance coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions can aid in determining if your insurance needs may require specific advice.

• Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
• Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
• Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
• Do I need motorclub coverage?
• Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
• When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
• Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
• Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
• Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

What determines how much you pay?

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

The following are a partial list of the pieces that factor into prices.

• Marriage pays dividends – Having a spouse can actually save you money when buying auto insurance. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and it’s statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.
• Careful drivers pay lower rates – A bad driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Even one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. If you have severe violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may find they need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
• Lower rates with optional equipment – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
• Do men or women drive better? – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Women and men cause accidents at a similar rate, but men cause more damage. Men also have more aggressive citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
• High crash test scores lower rates – Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. Safe vehicles result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and more competitive rates for policyholders.
• Policy add-ons can waste money – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles you can purchase on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and term life insurance may be wasting your money. They may seem good initially, but if they’re wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
• With age comes lower rates – Teenage drivers in Connecticut have a tendency to be more careless behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Parents adding a teen driver onto a policy can be very expensive. Older drivers are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.

Drivers who switch save $417 a year? Really?

Auto insurance providers like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. They all have a common claim about savings if you switch your coverage to them. But how can every company say the same thing?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver they prefer to insure. A good example of a preferred risk could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. A driver who fits that profile receives the best rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who are not a match for these standards will be quoted a higher premium which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way companies can advertise the way they do. This emphasizes why it’s extremely important to get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

More comparisons equals lower rates

Affordable auto insurance can be found from both online companies and with local Ridgefield insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

In this article, we covered many ideas to shop for auto insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a small mutual company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.

More information about auto insurance

More detailed Connecticut auto insurance information can be found at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Connecticut drivers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, view a list of available companies, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Other informative sites include this page for auto insurance prices in Connecticut and this page on QuoteClickInsure.com.