8 Discounts Woodburn Consumers Forget when Buying Auto Insurance

Finding better rates for Woodburn auto insurance can be difficult for consumers new to comparing rates online. Consumers have so many options that it can quickly become a lot of work to find the best price in Woodburn.

It’s a good idea to compare rates on a regular basis because rates trend upward over time. Just because you had the best deal on your last policy a different company probably has better rates today. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because we’re going to show you how to use online quotes to save on auto insurance.

Woodburn Auto Insurance Quote Comparison

There are a lot of ways you can shop for auto insurance but one way is less time-consuming than others. You can spend countless hours driving to insurance agencies in Woodburn, or you could use online quoting to maximize your effort.

Most car insurance companies enroll in a system that enables customers to only type in their quote data once, and each participating company can give them a price for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests for each company.

To access this free quoting program, click here to open in new window.

One minor caviat to getting quotes like this is that consumers can’t choose which providers you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to compare rates, we have a listing of low cost auto insurance companies in Oregon. Click to view list.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make darn sure you compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote. If you enter different liability limits you will not be able to determine the best price in Woodburn. Having just a slight variation in coverages can result in a big premium difference. Just keep in mind that quoting more gives you a better chance of getting a lower rate.

Don’t believe everything you hear

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you switch your coverage to them. But how can every company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 40, a clean driving record, and has a short commute. A customer who fits that profile receives the best rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Consumers who do not match these standards will be quoted higher rates which leads to the customer not buying. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That is how insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. This emphasizes why drivers must get as many quotes as possible. You cannot predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Take these eight discounts and save

Auto insurance companies don’t list all available discounts very well, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

• Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for signing up before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Accident Waiver – A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
• Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
• Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
• Sign Online – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up online.
• Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course if it’s offered in school.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.

Online quotes with a local Woodburn insurance agent

Some people would rather visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you may find lower rates and still choose a local agent.

To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your insurance coverage information gets sent to local insurance agents in Woodburn who will return price quotes for your business. There is no need to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. It doesn’t get any easier! You can find better rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.

Picking an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• Can they give you a list of client referrals?
• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
• Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
• Who are their largest clients?
• Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?

Different types of Woodburn car insurance agents

When researching local Woodburn agents, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents that you can select. Agencies in Woodburn can either be independent or captive.

Captive Insurance Agents

This type of agents write business for a single company and examples are State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They are unable to shop your coverage around so keep that in mind. They are trained well on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage. Some people will only purchase coverage from captives mainly due to the prominence of the brand and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.

The following is a list of captive insurance agencies in Woodburn that can give you price quotes.

• Farmers Insurance Group – 1541 N Pacific Hwy – Woodburn, OR 97071 – (503) 981-0045
• State Farm Insurance – 1016 Newberg Hwy – Woodburn, OR 97071 – (503) 982-5433

Independent Agents

These agents are not required to write business for one company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To move your coverage to a new company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, we recommend you include price quotes from multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection. Most have the option of insuring with smaller companies which can save you money.

Shown below is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Woodburn that are able to give comparison quotes.

• Brown Insurance – 979 Young St – Woodburn, OR 97071 – (503) 981-3841
• Tri State Insurance Svc – 560 Glatt Cir – Woodburn, OR 97071 – (503) 982-7047

For a complete listing of auto insurance agents in Woodburn, visit this link.

Upon receiving good answers to any questions you have and an acceptable price quote, you’ve probably found an insurance agency that will provide auto insurance coverage.

Additional detailed information is available at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and find out industry alerts.

Auto insurance coverage information

Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (which is 25/50/20), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Auto liability

This will cover damage that occurs to people or other property in an accident. It protects you from claims by other people, and 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 commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability can pay for things like loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and court costs. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. Oregon state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/20,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.

Collision protection

Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle 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 can pay for claims such as crashing into a ditch, crashing into a building, sideswiping another vehicle and colliding with a tree. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Coverage for medical payments

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for hospital visits, prosthetic devices and pain medications. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive coverages

This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things like theft, falling objects and fire damage. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

More quotes mean more savings

People switch companies for a variety of reasons including delays in paying claims, lack of trust in their agent, questionable increases in premium and even denial of a claim. Whatever your reason, switching companies is actually quite simple.

We just presented some good ideas how you can reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with a small local company.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage and learned later that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.