Lower Belton Missouri Car Insurance Rates in Five Minutes

Are you a victim of overpriced car insurance? Trust us, you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. You have so many auto insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, it can be more challenging to locate the cheapest rates.

It’s important to do rate comparisons quite often since insurance rates fluctuate regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the best price a couple years back there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn the easiest way to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

Save Money with These Tips

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that could result in lower car insurance prices.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces car insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

Is your vehicle built for speed? – The type of vehicle you drive makes a substantial difference in the rate you pay. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars usually have the lowest rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Add-on coverages can add up – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Insurance for personal injury protection, accidental death and membership fees are examples of these. They may seem good at first, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as real estate brokers, business owners and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates attributed to stressful work requirements and long work days. Other jobs such as actors, historians and homemakers pay the least.
Don’t cancel a policy without a new one in place – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a fast way to pay more for car insurance. Not only will you pay more, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may have to file a SR-22 with the Missouri DMV.
Better credit means lower rates – Your credit score is a big factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. If your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your rating. Drivers with good credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with poor credit.
Where you live is a factor – Being located in less populated areas can save you money when buying car insurance. City drivers regularly have traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.

Companies offer discounts so take them!

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list every discount very well, so here is a list both well-publicized and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.

Club Memberships – Affiliation with a qualifying organization may earn a discount on car insurance.
Distant Student – Any of your kids who live away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts can save 10% or more off your medical payments premium.

It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck.

To choose providers who offer car insurance discounts in Missouri, click this link.

Are insurance agents obsolete?

Certain consumers would prefer to sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Educated insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and give you someone to call. One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent.

To find an agent, once you fill out this simple form, your coverage information gets sent to companies in Belton who will battle to get your business. There is no need to drive around since price quotes are sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy!

Selecting an insurer shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Ask your prospective agent these questions: Missouri car insurance

Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?

The difference between Belton insurance agencies

When searching for a local agent, there are a couple of types of agencies from which to choose. Agencies in Belton are either independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can write coverage properly, but it’s good to learn how they are different because it can impact the type of agent you choose

Captive Agents

These agents are contracted to one company such as American Family, Liberty Mutual and AAA. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so keep that in mind. Captive agents are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Below is a short list of captive insurance agencies in Belton willing to provide price quotes.

Shelter Insurance – 112 Congress St – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 331-0241
American Family Insurance – 815 E North Ave – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 322-7100
State Farm Insurance – 8009 E 171st St – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 331-4288
Farmers Insurance Group – 553 N Scott Ave – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 331-2020

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent agents are not required to write business for one company but rather can write business with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. When comparison shopping, you should always contact at least one independent agent to ensure the widest selection of prices.

Below are independent insurance agents in Belton that are able to give price quotes.

Insurance Specialists – 107 Bradford Ln – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 331-4144
Turner Insurance – 8431 Clint Dr – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 322-6611
Ria Agency – 1102 Main St – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 965-8808
Linda Hocker Agency Inc Ins – 8017 E 171st St – Belton, MO 64012 – (816) 331-5800

To view a full list of insurance agents in Belton, please go to this site.

Once you have received good answers to these questions and locked in a price quote, you’ve probably found an insurance agency that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.

Don’t be fooled by advertising claims

Consumers in Missouri can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you move your policy.

How can each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Drivers who fall outside the requirements must pay higher rates which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That’s the way companies can truthfully claim big savings. This illustrates why drivers should get as many quotes as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

For more Missouri car insurance information

More detailed Missouri car insurance information is available at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Missouri consumers can view agent and company licensing information, read industry bulletins, view a list of available companies, and find out industry alerts.

Other informative sites include this resource for Missouri car insurance prices and this page on QuoteClickInsure.com.

One last thing about your coverage

Cheap car insurance can be sourced both online in addition to many Belton insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.