Tightwads Guide for Saving on Lawrence Auto Insurance

If you are a novice to online auto insurance shopping, you may be confused by the vast number of online companies selling insurance in Lawrence.

It is always a good idea to take a look at other company’s rates at least once a year because insurance rates change frequently. Even if you got the best rates two years ago other companies may now be cheaper. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the best way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Shopping for more affordable auto insurance in Lawrence is easy if you know what you’re doing. But Kansas consumers must know the methods companies use to market on the web and use this information to your advantage.

Many Things Influence your Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating your auto insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

• Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates – Companies in Kansas generally give lower rates to insureds who are claim-free. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Your insurance policy is designed for larger claims.
• With age comes lower rates – Older drivers are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be less responsible behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
• Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are quite a few add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for personal injury protection, accidental death and membership fees may be wasting your money. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
• Credit scores impact auto insurance rates – Credit rating is a important factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. Drivers with good credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with poor credit. Therefore, if your credit can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
• Your auto insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Jobs such as doctors, social workers and financial analysts have higher average rates because of stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. Conversely, occupations like actors, engineers and the unemployed get better rates.

Comparison of Auto Insurance in Lawrence

All the larger auto insurance companies give prices directly from their websites. Getting quotes doesn’t take a lot of time as you just enter your personal and coverage information into the quote form. Once entered, their system gets your driving record and credit report and generates pricing information.

This simplifies rate comparisons, but the work required to visit each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible in order to find lower prices.

Compare rates the easy way

A quicker way to lower your rates utilizes a single form that analyzes rates from multiple companies. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes rate comparisons much more enjoyable. After your information is entered, it gets priced and you can select your choice of the returned quotes. If the quotes result in lower rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. It just takes a couple of minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.

If you want to compare pricing, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you replicate the coverage information identical to your current policy. Doing this assures you will have an apples-to-apples comparison using the same coverage and limits.

Save $453 a year? Really?

Auto insurance providers like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive consistently run television and radio advertisements. They all have a common claim that you’ll save big if you change your coverage to them. How does each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a driver they prefer could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and has great credit. Any new insured who fits that profile receives the best rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential insureds who do not match these standards must pay higher rates and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently state the savings. This illustrates why you absolutely need to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s impossible to know which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Save money by taking advantage of these discounts

Car insurance companies don’t always list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both the well known and also the lesser-known ways to save on auto insurance.

• Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
• Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for switching to them before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
• Save over 55 – Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
• Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.

To see a list of providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Kansas, click here.

Additional detailed information is available at the Kansas Insurance Department website. Kansas drivers can file complaints about a company, read industry bulletins, find out industry alerts, and read state legal mandates and laws.

Additional helpful sites include Wikipedia and this page of insurance agents in Lawrence.

More quotes mean more savings

As you shop your coverage around, you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice full coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

Discount auto insurance is possible on the web as well as from independent agents in Lawrence, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of ways to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies.