7 Top Tips to Lower Car Insurance Costs in Kannapolis

Nobody I know looks forward to buying car insurance, in particular when they are paying too much.

Having so many choices of insurance companies, it’s nearly impossible to find the most affordable insurance company.

It’s a good idea to take a look at other company’s rates yearly since rates change quite often. Just because you had the best price on your last policy you may be paying too much now. There is a lot of bad advice regarding car insurance on the internet, so with this article, you’re going to get some proven techniques to reduce your car insurance bill.

Do you qualify for these seven discounts?

Auto insurance companies don’t necessarily list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the more common as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance.

Accident Forgiveness – A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
Bundle and Save – If you have multiple policies with the same company you could get a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
New Vehicle Savings – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home can help you save on car insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
Life Insurance – Some companies give lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of more than 20%.
Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy over the internet.

It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you won’t be that lucky.

To see a list of providers offering car insurance discounts in North Carolina, click here.

Free Quotes for Car Insurance in Kannapolis, North Carolina

To find the best car insurance prices, there are several ways of comparing price quotes and find the best price. The easiest way by far to find the cheapest insurance rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

The recommended way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do separate quotation requests for every car insurance company. A single form compares rates from many national carriers.
Another way to find lower rates requires visiting each company’s website and request a quote. For instance, let’s say you want to compare State Farm, GEICO and Allstate. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Kannapolis, click here.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you are comparing exactly the same information on every quote you get. If you use unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be next to impossible to determine the best price in Kannapolis. Quoting even small variations in limits may result in large price differences. And when comparison shopping, comparing more company’s prices will increase your chances of finding the best price.

Don’t assume everyone needs the same coverage

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions can aid in determining whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

Is my vehicle covered for smoke damage?
Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
Do I need higher deductibles?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Coverages available on your car insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the usual coverages found on the average car insurance policy.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as a broken windshield, damage from flooding and damage from getting keyed. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Medical costs insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills for prosthetic devices, ambulance fees, nursing services, rehabilitation expenses and EMT expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

Collision coverage – Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things such as hitting a mailbox, damaging your car on a curb and sustaining damage from a pot hole. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Liability car insurance – Liability coverage can cover damage that occurs to other people or property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability insurance covers things like medical expenses, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, loss of income and bail bonds. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. North Carolina requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/25,000 but you should consider buying higher limits.

UM/UIM Coverage – This protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (30/60/25 in North Carolina), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

A little work can save a LOT of money

We’ve covered quite a bit of information on how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like Progressive and GEICO.

Discount car insurance is available on the web and with local Kannapolis insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies do not offer online quoting and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.