8 Ways to Pay Less on Auto Insurance in Anderson

If you’ve never shopped for auto insurance online, it’s easy to get confused by the hoards of auto insurance companies vying for business in Anderson.

It’s important to do rate comparisons every six months due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price a year ago you can probably find a lower rate today. So just ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the proper way to lower your annual insurance bill.

How much can you save with these eight discounts?

Car insurance companies do not advertise every discount very clearly, so here is a list both well-publicized and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.

• Resident Student – Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
• Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
• Club Memberships – Being a member of a professional or civic organization could trigger savings on auto insurance.
• Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
• Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
• Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks on one policy qualifies for this discount.
• Safety Course Discount – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in Anderson, click here to view.

Can’t I compare rates from local Anderson agents?

Some consumers would prefer to get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about getting online price quotes is that you can obtain the lowest rates but also keep your business local.

By using this short form, your information gets sent to agents in your area who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no need to visit any agencies due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. How’s that for easy!

Deciding on a company shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:

• How often do they review policy coverages?
• Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
• How are they compensated?

Listed below are Anderson auto insurance companies that can give you comparison quotes.

• Mason Worth Insurance Inc – 408 Bypass 28 S # 15, Anderson, SC 29624 – (864) 222-2320
• Direct General Ins Agency – 3300 N Main St, Anderson, SC 29621 – (864) 224-1401
• Carolina Marketing Insurance – 4136 Clemson Blvd, Anderson, SC 29621 – (864) 224-2970
• Farm Bureau Insurance – 1308 Whitehall Rd, Anderson, SC 29625 – (864) 224-2548
• Allstate Insurance – 2307 N Main St, Anderson, SC 29621 – (864) 224-3501
• State Farm Insurance – 2309 N Main St, Anderson, SC 29621 – (864) 224-2880

For a complete listing of licensed insurance agents in Anderson, please click here.

Once you have received answers to your satisfaction and a low price estimate, you may have just found an insurer that meets your needs to service your policy.

Information about specific coverages

Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Collision – This pays for damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things such as hitting a parking meter, hitting a mailbox and scraping a guard rail. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage – This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding and rock chips in glass. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Medical payments coverage and PIP – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like doctor visits, dental work, EMT expenses and chiropractic care. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Liability auto insurance – This coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property in an accident. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 25/50/25 which stand for a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability can pay for things such as court costs, emergency aid, legal defense fees, attorney fees and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. South Carolina state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – This gives you protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many South Carolina drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/25 in South Carolina), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Additional South Carolina car insurance resources

More tips and info about auto insurance is located at the South Carolina Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, find out which companies have the most complaints, file complaints about a company, and find out industry alerts.

Other useful links include QuoteClickInsure.com and CarInsuranceDIY.com.

Smart shoppers get results

In this article, we presented a lot of information how to shop for auto insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the best prices are with a lesser-known regional company.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don’t be tempted to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate.

Consumers who switch companies do it for many reasons like extreme rates for teen drivers, denial of a claim, high prices or even delays in paying claims. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new company is actually quite simple.