Uncover the Secrets to Paying Less for Naperville Illinois Car Insurance

Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me when I say you’re not alone.

Many insurance companies vie for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a insurer to find the absolute best rates possible.

It’s a good habit to check car insurance prices once or twice a year because rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you got the lowest rates a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the best methods to find great coverage at a great price.

How insurance companies determine rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

• Do you know your deductibles? – Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply are collision with another vehicle, damage caused by hail, or theft. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The more expense you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
• Tickets mean higher rates – A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Even one citation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers who don’t get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. If you have serious violations like DUI or reckless driving may find they need to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
• Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if ever a court rules you are at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides 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.
• Discounts for multiple policies – Many insurance companies will give a discount to policyholders who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to 10 percent or more. Even though this discount sounds good, you may still want to shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal.
• Marriage pays dividends – Being married actually saves money when buying car insurance. It translates into being more mature and responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.

Low Cost Naperville Car Insurance

Comparing car insurance rates is a ton of work if you don’t know the easiest way. You could waste time discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in Naperville, or you could use online quoting for quick rates.

The majority of car insurance companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and each participating company returns a competitive quote based on the submitted data. This eliminates the need for quotation requests for each company you want a rate for. To find out how much you can save on car insurance click to open in new window.

The one downside to comparing rates this way is that you can’t choose which providers you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose specific providers to compare prices, we have a page of low cost car insurance companies in Illinois. Click here to view list.

However you get your quotes, make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If you compare differing limits it will be very difficult to make a fair comparison in Naperville. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies will increase your chances of finding the best price.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the ads have a common claim that you’ll save big if you switch your policy. But how can every company make the same claim?

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk could be between the ages of 40 and 55, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential customers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile must pay a higher premium and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why you should compare many company’s rates. It is impossible to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Pay less by taking advantage of discounts

Car insurance companies don’t list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the more common as well as the least known car insurance savings.

• Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with a few car insurance companies.
• Student in College – Kids in college living away from home attending college and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Senior Discount – Older drivers may qualify for reduced rates.
• Anti-theft System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared to drivers who are more careless.

Drivers should understand that some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don’t profit that way.

To see a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Naperville, follow this link.

More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois drivers can read industry bulletins, learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, and discover disciplinary actions.

Other informative sites include III.org’s auto insurance page and this page of Naperville insurance agents.

Final thoughts

We just presented some good ideas how to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with the least-expected company. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.

When you buy insurance online, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, an insured cut full coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Budget-conscious car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and with local Naperville insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.