8 Shopping Tips Proven to Slash the Cost of Car Insurance Costs in West Linn Oregon

Are you confused by the sheer number of car insurance companies in West Linn? You have a lot of company. There are so many options that it can turn into a big hassle to find the lowest price.

Discounts can save BIG

Companies offering auto insurance do not advertise all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the more common and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.

• Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with one insurance company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
• Braking Control Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Good Student – This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
• Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may save up to 50% more than drivers with accident claims.
• Organization Discounts – Being a member of a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
• Driver Safety – Completing a course in driver safety could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.

It’s important to note that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Oregon, click this link.

Comprehensive Car Insurance Comparison in West Linn, OR

All the larger car insurance companies provide pricing on their websites. The process is quite easy as you simply type in your coverage preferences into the quote form. Upon sending the form, the system gets your driving record and credit report and returns pricing information determined by many factors.

This streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form can be a bit repetitive. But it is imperative to perform this step if you want to find better prices.

Rate comparisons made easy

A quicker way to find lower prices uses one form that gets price quotes from multiple companies. It’s a real time-saver, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes comparison shopping much more efficient. After sending your information, it is rated and you are able to buy your choice of the returned quotes. If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. The whole process only takes a few minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.

To use this form to compare rates, click here to open in new window and submit the form. To compare your current rates, we recommend you input identical to your current policy. This helps ensure you will be getting comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Car insurance coverage options

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

This covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like hitting a deer, damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many Oregon drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 25/50/20), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.

Insurance for medical payments

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses such as X-ray expenses, hospital visits, EMT expenses, surgery and pain medications. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against things like crashing into a building, hitting a mailbox and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Coverage for liability

This coverage protects you from 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. You might see values of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage pays for things like repair costs for stationary objects, court costs, attorney fees and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but buy as large an amount as possible. Oregon requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/20,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

A little work can save a LOT of money

Insureds who switch companies do it for many reasons like high rates after DUI convictions, extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in paying claims and denial of a claim. No matter why you want to switch, switching companies can be easy and end up saving you some money.

As you shop your coverage around, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price.

Budget-conscious car insurance is possible both online and also from your neighborhood West Linn agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.