5 Methods to Save on Car Insurance in Elko Nevada

Shopping for the most affordable Elko car insurance online may be problematic for people who are new to comparing rates online. When there are so many online companies, how can you have a chance to compare every company to locate the best available price?

It’s a good habit to compare rates every six months because rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to find out how to use the internet to find better coverage at a better price.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Companies don’t always list all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the best known as well as the least known car insurance savings. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.
• Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
• Life Insurance – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
• No Charge for an Accident – A few companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck.

For a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in Nevada, click here to view.

Elko Car Insurance Quote Comparison

Most major insurance companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive give insurance quotes online. Getting online quotes is quite easy as you simply enter your personal and coverage information as detailed in the form. After you complete the form, the company’s rating system makes automated requests for reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price quote.

This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time it takes to visit several different sites and enter the same data into a form can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it is imperative to compare as many rates as possible in order to find better prices.

A quicker way to lower your car insurance bill uses one simple form that gets prices from several companies at one time. This type of form saves time, requires less work, and makes comparison shopping a little more enjoyable. Once the form is submitted, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the returned quotes. If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. It takes less than 15 minutes and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.

To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, simply click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you duplicate the limits and deductibles exactly as shown on your declarations page. This way, you will receive comparison quotes using the exact same coverages.

Don’t be fooled by advertising claims

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all make the same claim that you can save after switching your policy.

But how can every company make the same claim?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. An example of a preferred risk might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Consumers who fall outside this ideal profile will be quoted a more expensive rate which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how companies can state the savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to get quotes from several different companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Parts of your car insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Collision – Collision 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 then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for claims such as backing into a parked car, hitting a mailbox and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Comprehensive coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from flooding, fire damage and rock chips in glass. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Medical payments coverage and PIP – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses for dental work, EMT expenses and doctor visits. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (15/30/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

Auto liability insurance – Liability insurance provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t 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 might see limits of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability coverage pays for things such as funeral expenses, attorney fees and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but buy as large an amount as possible. Nevada requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.

Keep this in mind

People who switch companies do it for many reasons like extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent, policy cancellation and denial of a claim. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new car insurance company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.

You just learned a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with an unexpected company.

When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

More Nevada car insurance information

Even more information can be read at the Nevada Division of Insurance website. Consumers can download brochures, get help finding coverage, and read industry bulletins.