Cheap Car Insurance – How to Find it and Where to Get it
With the economy the way it is we can all use ways to save money. One expense that nearly every adult in the US needs to deal with is car insurance. Nearly all states require some level of car insurance for liability reasons, and in our opinion any person operating a vehicle should be insured. So, it makes sense to try to locate cheap car insurance.
Now, how can we go about reducing the cost of auto insurance? You may have no idea where to begin, but we are here to help. First, and foremost we recommend that you know how much coverage you need. There are state minimum requirements for liability insurance, but liability insurance will not protect your vehicle or its contents. If you can afford it, we recommend getting full auto coverage. There are other factors that will affect the cost, which we will cover.
Deductibles are the cost you will have to pay out of pocket should you be at fault for an accident, or if your car is burglarized or otherwise damaged. The higher the deductible, the lower your monthly premiums (at least in theory.) You should choose a deductible that you can afford without undue hardship. In our experience, for vehicles in the $10,000 to $30,000 replacement cost range a deductible of $500.00 is usually the best compromise between monthly premiums and out of pocket expense.
Your driving record plays a large role in your ability to find cheap car insurance. Even one speeding ticket, let alone an “at fault” accident, can drastically increase your insurance rates. If you have a squeaky clean driving record you can command the lowest rates.
If you’re seeking full coverage insurance, the replacement cost of your car and the statistical occurrence of accidents for said vehicle come into play. If you are going to be insuring a $100,000.00 sports car you will probably not find what most would consider “Cheap Insurance“.
If you are a home owner and have a family it sometimes pays to group all your policies with one carrier. Many insurance companies will extend significant savings when you have multiple policies. However, you never know if these discounts are as big as the insurance company claims, which brings us to our next point.
The most important step to finding cheap car insurance is to SHOP AROUND! As with any major purchase you need to see what the competition is charging. It is our recommendation that you use online insurance quotes to do your comparisons. It is much easier to go to a couple websites and type in your information than it is to call multiple carriers. The quote form we offer on our website (see above), will allow you to receive quotes from multiple carriers, and you only have to fill out the information once!
Our final advice to obtaining cheap car insurance is to keep shopping around. If you and your family (for those with group policies) maintain clean driving records, your rates should decrease every year. We recommend that you receive insurance quotes every year right after your policy renews to see if you really are receiving the lowest car insurance rates. The beauty is, if you find lower rates elsewhere you may not have to switch carriers. Many times it only takes informing your insurance agent about the competing rates, and they will match or better your current rates!