Tightwads Guide to Saving on Ruston Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced car insurance? Believe me, you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. With consumers having so many companies to choose from, it can be impossible to find the lowest price provider.

Consumers should take time to check car insurance prices occasionally due to the fact that insurance rates change quite often. Even if you got the best price on your last policy you can probably find a better price now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the proper way to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.

Finding affordable coverage in Ruston is not that difficult. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to save some money using this strategy. Louisiana consumers just need to learn the tricks to shop their coverage around over the internet.

Lower the Price of Insurance with These Tips

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

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

• Bad driving skills means higher rates – Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Only having one moving violation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. If you have dangerous violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
• Save money with special equipment – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart auto theft.
• Having a spouse can save you money – Having a spouse can get you a discount on your car insurance policy. Having a significant other is viewed as being more responsible and it’s proven that being married results in fewer claims.
• An active claims history can cost you – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance companies in Louisiana give discounts to drivers who are claim-free. Your insurance policy is intended for the large, substantial claims.

Automobile Insurance Quotes in Ruston, LA

Getting better car insurance pricing can be surprisingly simple. The only requirement is to spend a little time to get quotes online with multiple companies. This can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way to get quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for boring form submissions for each company. Just one form gets you price quotes from all major companies.

A less efficient way to get comparison quotes is to take the time to go to each company website to complete a price quote. For instance, let’s say you want to compare GEICO, Allstate and Farmers. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular.

For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Ruston, click here.

The hardest way to compare rates is to spend your day driving to local Ruston insurance agencies. Buying insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you require the trained guidance that only a license agent can provide. It is possible to comparison shop your insurance online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll talk about that later.

Whichever method you choose, make darn sure you compare exactly the same coverage information on every quote. If you have mixed coverages then you won’t be able to find the best deal in Ruston.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers in Louisiana get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance from the likes of State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to make the same claim of big savings if you change your coverage to them.

How can each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and therefore will cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who are not a match for these standards will have to pay more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims. Because of the profiling, it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. You cannot predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Discounts are basically free money

Companies that sell car insurance do not list every discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the best known and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for switching to them before your current policy expires. It can save you around 10%.
• Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
• Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.

It’s important to note that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way.

For a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Ruston, click this link.

What about my local Ruston agents?

Some consumers just want to talk to a local agent and that is just fine! Educated insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help you file claims. The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates and still choose a local agent.

Once you complete this simple form, the coverage information is sent to agents in your area who will battle for your insurance coverage. You never need to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. How’s that for easy!

Choosing a company shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Who are their largest clients?
• How are claims handled?
• Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
• Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
• Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
• How long has their agency been in business in Ruston?
• What insurance company do they write the most business with?
• Are claims handled at the agent’s location?

If you prefer to view licensed agents in Ruston, click here to link.

After getting reasonable responses and a good coverage price, most likely you have located an provider that will properly insure your vehicles.

Even more information is available at the Louisiana Department of Insurance website. Louisiana drivers can get help finding coverage, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

Also read more on this link for Louisiana coverage information and this list of agents in Ruston, LA.

Best coverage at the best price

Low-cost car insurance can be purchased online in addition to many Ruston insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed collision coverage only to find out that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.