7 Tricks Guaranteed to Save on Auto Insurance Costs in Rapid City South Dakota

Sick and tired of paying out the nose to insure your vehicles every month? You’re in the same situation as the majority of other car owners in South Dakota. There is such a variety of car insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates and cut insurance costs.

How to Compare Rapid City Auto Insurance Costs

Performing a rate comparison can be challenging if you aren’t aware of the best way to get rate quotes. You could spend the better part of a day talking to insurance companies in Rapid City, or you can utilize the internet to maximize your effort.

Many insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and each company can give them a price determined by their information. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions to each individual auto insurance company.

To find out what other companies charge click to open in new window.

The single downside to doing it this way is you don’t know exactly which providers you want to price. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare, we have assembled a list of low cost auto insurance companies in South Dakota. Click here for list of insurance companies in South Dakota.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples coverages and limits for every company. If the quotes have different deductibles it will be impossible to determine the best price in Rapid City.

Don’t overlook these seven discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help bring down the price. Some discounts apply automatically when you purchase, but less common discounts must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount. If you don’t get every credit available, you are throwing money away.

• Multi-policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with one company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Drive Less and Save – Fewer annual miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Discount for Good Grades – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
• Paperwork-free – Certain companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
• Driver Safety – Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.

It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will reduce your overall premium however.

For a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in Rapid City, click here.

Is my situation unique?

When it comes to buying the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Every insured’s situation is different so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions might point out whether you will benefit from professional help.

• Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
• How much liability coverage do I need in South Dakota?
• Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
• Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
• What are the financial responsibility laws in South Dakota?
• Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
• Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?

If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance 101

Learning about specific coverages of auto insurance can help you determine the best coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are the usual coverages found on most auto insurance policies.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Since many South Dakota drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (South Dakota limits are 25/50/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Normally the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for bills like funeral costs, surgery, X-ray expenses, dental work and EMT expenses. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive auto coverage

This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things like theft, vandalism, hitting a bird, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and fire damage. The maximum amount your auto insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for liability

This coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 25/50/25 which stand for a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability can pay for things such as court costs, legal defense fees and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible. South Dakota state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.

Coverage for collisions

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

Collision coverage protects against things like rolling your car, scraping a guard rail, sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a building and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.

Affordable insurance is out there

Cost effective auto insurance is available on the web and also from your neighborhood Rapid City agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

We just covered a lot of ways to save on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even discover the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. They can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.

Additional auto insurance information is located on the website for the South Dakota Division of Insurance. Click here for link. South Dakota consumers can find out industry alerts, download brochures, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.