10 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Mansfield

Nobody likes having to buy car insurance, particularly when the price is too high. Many insurers compete for your hard-earned dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies and get the best coverage at the cheapest price

Consumers should take time to get comparison quotes every six months since insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you had the best deal a year ago other companies may now be cheaper. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re going to learn the best way to remove unneeded coverages and save money.

Compare Quotes for Mansfield Car Insurance

Getting a cheaper price on insurance is surprisingly easy. You just have to spend a few minutes on the computer comparing price quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

Probably the best way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This easy form keeps you from doing separate quote forms for every car insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form gets you price quotes from many national carriers.

A more time consuming way to obtain and compare quotes online is spending the time to visit the website for each individual company to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, we’ll assume you want rates from Nationwide, Farmers and State Farm. To get each rate you have to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to insurance companies in Mansfield, click here.

The most time-consuming method of getting rate comparisons to local Mansfield insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you have a need for the trained guidance only provided by licensed Mansfield agents. However, consumers can price shop your coverage online and still use a local agent and we’ll talk about that later.

It’s up to you which method you use, but be sure to compare the exact same coverages for each price quote. If you enter mixed coverages it’s not possible to find the best deal in Mansfield.

Be sure to get all your discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you get a quote, but a few must be manually applied before you get the savings. If you don’t get every credit available, you are throwing money away.

Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of more than 20%.
Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Driver’s Ed – Have your child take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner may trigger a car insurance policy discount due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
Student in College – Children living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
Save over 55 – Older drivers may be able to get better car insurance rates.
Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% with a few car insurance companies.

It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

But I prefer to buy car insurance from an agent

Some people prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is a personal choice. Good agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help you file claims. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is you may find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for small agencies is important especially in Mansfield.

Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), your coverage information gets sent to companies in Mansfield who will give you bids to get your business. You never need to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered straight to your inbox. How cool is that?!

Choose the right insurance agent

When looking for a good Mansfield insurance agent, there are a couple of different agency structures from which to choose. Insurance agencies in Mansfield are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both types can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them since it can impact your agent selection.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage amongst many companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies and that require little work on your part.

When comparing rates, we recommend you contact at least one independent agent for the best price selection.

The following are Mansfield independent insurance agents that are able to give competitive price quotes.

Bruce E Davis Insurance – 864 Ashland Rd – Mansfield, OH 44905 – (419) 589-9610
Richard Weemhoff Agency – 166 Park Ave W # 201 – Mansfield, OH 44902 – (419) 525-1181
Gary D Feagin Insurance – 1623 W 4th St – Mansfield, OH 44906 – (419) 747-2217
Harry L Hall Agency – 28 Park Ave W # 707 – Mansfield, OH 44902 – (419) 524-2134
Midland-Hatch Agency – 1221 S Trimble Rd # A3 – Mansfield, OH 44907 – (419) 756-9747

Agency Captives

Captive agents can only place business with one company and examples are Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. These agents receive extensive training on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage.

The following are captive agents in Mansfield willing to provide price quotes.

Allstate Insurance Co – 1353 Park Ave W – Mansfield, OH 44906 – (419) 529-2313
American Family Insurance – 2001 W 4th St – Mansfield, OH 44906 – (419) 529-9904
State Farm Insurance – 775 Lexington Ave # A – Mansfield, OH 44907 – (419) 774-1100

To view a complete directory of Mansfield captive agencies, view this link.

Choosing a car insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
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)?
Can glass repairs be made at your home?
Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?

Upon receiving positive responses and a good coverage price, you may have just found a car insurance agent that is a good match to properly service your car insurance policy.

Car insurance coverage information

Learning about specific coverages of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find the usual coverages available from car insurance companies.

Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for expenses such as X-ray expenses, surgery and EMT expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

Liability insurance – Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability insurance covers things such as attorney fees, funeral expenses, bail bonds and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but consider buying as much as you can afford. Ohio requires minimum liability limits of 12,500/25,000/7,500 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.

Collision coverages – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision can pay for claims such as hitting a mailbox, colliding with another moving vehicle and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Ohio limits are 12,500/25/7,500), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from a tornado or hurricane, vandalism, a broken windshield and theft. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Quote more, save more

We just presented many tips how you can compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with a small local company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.

As you restructure your insurance plan, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, drivers have reduced collision coverage and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate.

Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Ohio Department of Insurance through this link. Ohio drivers can find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, learn about insurance regulations, and find a variety of consumer forms.

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