8 Best Ways to Reduce Car Insurance Costs in Blaine, MN

Sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? You are no different than many other drivers in Minnesota.

Multiple car insurance companies compete for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates to discover the definitive best rates possible.

Consumers need to take a look at other company’s rates before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance rates fluctuate regularly. If you had the best price last year you can probably find a better price now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the best ways to buy cheaper car insurance.

If you have car insurance now, you will be able to save some money using this information. Buying car insurance in Blaine is quite easy. Although Minnesota drivers should learn how companies market insurance on the web.

Discounts are great for lower rates

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always publicize every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the more common and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance.

• Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can save as much as 8% with select insurance companies.
• Life Insurance Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy life insurance.
• Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accidents.
• Accident Waiver – A few companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
• Driver Safety – Successfully completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
• Paperwork-free – A few companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

Compare online but buy from a local Blaine agent

Some people just want to sit down with an agent and that is OK! One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is you may find lower rates and still choose a local agent.

Upon completion of this short form, your information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Blaine who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to leave your house since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. You can find better rates and work with a local agent.

Choosing an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just the price. Agents should be asked these questions:

• What insurance companies do they work with?
• If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
• Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
• How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
• Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
• Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
• Is assistance available after office hours?

Compare rates from both independent and captive insurance agencies

When searching for an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different agency structures that you can select. Agencies in Blaine are either independent or captive.

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive insurance agents have only one company to place business with and some examples include AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance and Allstate. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. They are well schooled on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Listed below are captive insurance agencies in Blaine that are able to give price quote information.

American Family Insurance – 12265 Central Ave NE # 5 – Blaine, MN 55434 – (763) 755-9305
Farmers Insurance Group – 9921 Central Ave NE – Blaine, MN 55434 – (763) 784-2465

Independent Agents

Independent agents are not locked into one company so they can insure your vehicles with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, we recommend you get quotes from several independent insurance agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.

Below is a list of independent agencies in Blaine that are able to give rate quotes.

Horace Mann Insurance Co – 12401 Radisson Rd NE – Blaine, MN 55449 – (763) 755-0277
Anderson Agency – 11000 Central Ave NE # 111 – Blaine, MN 55434 – (763) 767-7218
First Choice Insurance – 11923 Central Ave NE – Blaine, MN 55434 – (763) 792-3555
Bob Stanger Agency – 8535 Central Ave NE # 101 – Blaine, MN 55434 – (763) 427-0770

For a complete listing of car insurance agents in Blaine, please view this page.

Once you have received reasonable responses to any questions you have and locked in a price quote, most likely you have located an insurance agency that is a good match to provide car insurance coverage. But keep in mind once you purchase a policy you can cancel your coverage any time you want so don’t assume that you’re stuck with the car insurance policy for any length of time.

Car insurance is unique, just like you

When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Each situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Minnesota?
• Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
• Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
• Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Minnesota?
• Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
• Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
• Should I buy more coverage than the required Minnesota minimum liability coverage?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you may need to chat with an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Car insurance 101

Having a good grasp of car insurance helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverage types available from car insurance companies.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as damage from flooding, damage from a tornado or hurricane and fire damage. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Insurance for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses like funeral costs, dental work, EMT expenses, rehabilitation expenses and pain medications. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Liability car insurance – This protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability insurance covers things such as medical services, pain and suffering and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Minnesota state law requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/10,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (30/60/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Collision – This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers things like rolling your car, crashing into a building, sustaining damage from a pot hole, crashing into a ditch and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

To find out more about Minnesota car insurance

More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, file complaints about a company, and view a list of available companies.

Other useful links include III.org’s auto insurance page and this resource to find Blaine, MN insurance agents.

Do the work, save more money

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small mutual company. Smaller companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or GEICO.

When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice full coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate.