7 Discounts Nampa Drivers Neglect when Shopping for Car Insurance on the Internet

Consumers not familiar with comparing rates online will discover shopping for the lowest-priced Nampa car insurance is not as easy as it seems.

You should take the time to take a look at other company’s rates occasionally since rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price a few years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the tricks you need to know to get good coverage at a lower rate.

Do you qualify for these seven discounts?

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts to cut the cost considerably. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about prior to getting the savings. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
• Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
• Driver’s Ed – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in school.
• One Accident Forgiven – Certain companies permit an accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less as compared to frequent claim filers.
• College Student – Any of your kids who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
• Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.

Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But any discount will reduce the cost of coverage.

For a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Nampa, follow this link.

Do I need a local agent?

Certain consumers prefer to sit down with an agent and that is OK! Insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and give you peace of mind. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you can get the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. Supporting local insurance agencies is important especially in Nampa.

To find an agent, once you fill out this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area who will give you bids for your business. There is no need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent to your email.

To view a list of agents in Nampa to contact, visit this link.

Selecting a company should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
• Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
• How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
• Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
• What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
• Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?

Upon getting reasonable responses to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance company that meets your needs to service your policy. Keep in mind policyholders can cancel your policy at any point so don’t feel you’re contractually obligated to any specific agency with no way to switch.

Car insurance coverage considerations

Having a good grasp of a car insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as hitting a bird, rock chips in glass, damage from flooding, hitting a deer and hail damage. The most your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Coverage for collisions

This coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers things such as crashing into a ditch, crashing into a building and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Auto liability

This coverage will cover damage that occurs to a person or their property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show values of 100/300/100 that means you have a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability insurance covers things like attorney fees, medical services, funeral expenses and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but you should buy higher limits if possible. Idaho requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/50,000/15,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

This protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (20/50/15 in Idaho), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Insurance for medical payments

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills such as funeral costs, ambulance fees, pain medications and dental work. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Additional car insurance links

Much more information about car insurance in Idaho can be found on the Idaho Department of Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and report car insurance fraud.

More comparisons equals lower rates

Consumers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as delays in responding to claim requests, high rates after DUI convictions, policy non-renewal and lack of trust in their agent. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is not as hard as you think.

Budget-conscious car insurance can be sourced on the web and with local Nampa insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

When shopping online for car insurance, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed full coverage only to find out they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.