8 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance in West Greenwich

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can drain your checking account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Comparing price quotes is a smart way to lower your monthly bill. Many car insurance companies vie for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies to find the lowest price

West Greenwich Car Insurance Quote Comparison

All major car insurance companies allow you to get prices for coverage on the web. Getting online quotes is quite simple as you simply enter the amount of coverage you want into the quote form. After the form is submitted, the company’s rating system will obtain your driving and credit reports and returns pricing information. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s very important to do this in order to get better car insurance pricing.

The better way to compare rates

A less time-consuming method to lower your rates is to use a quote form to obtain quotes from several different companies. It saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online price comparison much more efficient. Once the form is submitted, your coverage is rated and you are able to buy any one of the quote results.

If the quotes result in lower rates, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. It just takes a couple of minutes and could lower your rates considerably.

To compare pricing, simply click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you input coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this assures you will get comparison quotes for similar insurance coverage.

Drivers who switch save $449 a year? Really?

Consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings from the likes of State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all have a common claim that you can save if you change your coverage to them.

How do they all make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Drivers who fall outside the “perfect” profile will be charged more money which leads to business not being written. The ads say “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s the way companies can advertise the savings.

That is why it’s extremely important to quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Discounts can save BIG

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that many people don’t even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically in order for you to get them. If they aren’t giving you every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

• Accident Waiver – Some insurance companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
• Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you could save 5% or more.
• Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
• Good Students Pay Less – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
• Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
• Driver’s Ed – Have your child enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.

It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in West Greenwich, follow this link.

But I want to work with a local agent

Some people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is OK! Agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you someone to call. The biggest benefit of price shopping on the web is you may find the lowest rates but also keep your business local. And supporting local insurance agencies is definitely important in West Greenwich.

Once you complete this quick form, your coverage information is sent to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your business. You don’t have to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go immediately to your email address.

Captive agents vs. Independent agents

When finding a reliable agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies to choose from. Agents can either be captive or independent. Both do a good job, but it’s worth mentioning the differences since it may influence buying decisions.

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent agents are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you won’t have to switch agencies.

When comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to get quotes from at least one independent agent to ensure the widest selection of prices.

Shown below is a list of independent agents in West Greenwich that can give you rate quotes.

Farm Family Adams Agency – 780 Victory Hwy – West Greenwich, RI 02817 – (401) 397-4000

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agencies work for only one company such as AAA, Allstate and State Farm. Captives cannot compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which can be an advantage.

Choosing an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Some important questions to ask are:

• If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
• How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
• Do they make recommendations based only on price?
• What insurance company do they write the most business with?
• Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
• Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
• Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?

Once you have received good answers to these questions and an acceptable price quote, it’s possible that you found a car insurance agent that meets your needs to properly insure your vehicles. Just keep in mind consumers can cancel a policy any time you want so don’t assume that you’re stuck with the car insurance policy for any length of time.

Which insurance is the “right” coverage?

When buying coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions may help highlight if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
• How much liability coverage do I need in Rhode Island?
• Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
• Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
• Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
• What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
• Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?

If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Additional information can be read on the website for the Rhode Island Division of Insurance Regulation found here. Rhode Island drivers can read consumer alerts, file complaints about a company, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Specifics of your car insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages found on most car insurance policies.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for immediate expenses like dental work, funeral costs, prosthetic devices, X-ray expenses and rehabilitation expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as theft, damage from flooding, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and hitting a deer. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision coverage protection

Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against things such as crashing into a ditch, scraping a guard rail and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since many Rhode Island drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (which is 25/50/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Liability auto insurance

Liability insurance can cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Another option is a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as medical services, medical expenses, structural damage, court costs and pain and suffering. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Rhode Island requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.

More effort can pay off

We just covered a lot of ways to get a better price on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the most savings is with an unexpected company. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like GEICO and State Farm.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.