Buying affordable Tallahassee auto insurance on the internet can seem to be intimidating for people who are new to comparing rates online. With such a large number of insurers to choose from, how can anyone have a chance to compare them all to find the lowest rates?
It is always a good idea to get comparison quotes periodically due to the fact that insurance rates change quite often. Even if you got the best deal a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting right now, forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you’re going to learn the fastest way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.
If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these tips. Locating affordable auto insurance in Tallahassee is easy if you know what you’re doing. But Florida car owners must comprehend the way companies price online insurance and take advantage of how the system works.
Vehicle Insurance Comparison
There are several ways of comparing rate quotes from local in Tallahassee, FLauto insurance companies. The best method to compare insurance prices is to perform an online rate comparison. This can be done using a couple different methods.
- The best way consumers can analyze rates is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for each company. Just one form compares rates . It’s the fastest way to compare.
- A less efficient way to get quotes online is spending the time to visit each company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want rates from GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. To find out each rate you need to go to every website and enter your policy data, and that’s why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Tallahassee, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you’re using identical coverage limits for every company. If you have different deductibles you can’t possibly determine the lowest rate in Tallahassee. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. Just remember that getting more free quotes will enable you to find a lower rate.
Discounts are available to cut your rates
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Most are applied at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically before being credited.
- Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It can save you around 10%.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with one company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
- Driver Safety – Completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Clubs and Organizations – Belonging to certain professional organizations could trigger savings when buying auto insurance.
- Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for better auto insurance rates.
It’s important to note that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.
Buy Cheaper Auto Insurance with These Tips
Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that help determine your auto insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.
- Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are a lot of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying auto insurance. Coverages for roadside assistance, accidental death and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
- Always keep insurance in force – Driving your car without having proper coverage is against the law and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance expire. Not only will you pay more, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance might get you a license revocation or jail time.
- Low deductibles can be expensive – Deductibles for physical damage represent how much money you are required to spend before your auto insurance pays a claim. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, or theft. The more money you have to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Having a spouse can save you money – Having a wife or husband actually saves money on your auto insurance policy. Having a significant other means you’re more mature than a single person and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
- Women pay lower rates – Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes are in accidents at about the same rate, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Young males are the most expensive to insure and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
- Rates may be lower depending on your job – Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs such as doctors, architects and stock brokers tend to have the highest rates because of job stress and long work hours. On the other hand, occupations like farmers, students and homemakers receive lower rates.
Everyone needs different coverages
When choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is unique.
For example, these questions can help discover whether you would benefit from professional advice.
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
- What are the financial responsibility laws in Florida?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
- Do I need higher deductibles?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
- Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
- Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form.
Additional information is located on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website found here. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, and view agent and company licensing information.
A little work can save a LOT of money
When shopping online for auto insurance, it’s very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.
Discount auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Tallahassee insurance agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
You just learned a lot of tips how to lower your auto insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier.