8 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Schaumburg

Nobody I know enjoys paying for car insurance, particularly when the cost is way too high.

Many car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every company to find the lowest cost out there.

You should take the time to price shop coverage quite often due to the fact that insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Even if you got the best rates two years ago there may be better deals available now. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding car insurance on the internet, so by reading this article, you’re going to learn the easiest ways to put money back in your pocket.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Buying car insurance in Schaumburg is not rocket science. Nevertheless, Illinois vehicle owners need to learn how insurance companies market insurance on the web and take advantage of how the system works.

Do you qualify for these eight discounts?

Car insurance companies don’t list all their discounts very well, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.

• Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
• Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
• Homeowners Savings – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
• Senior Discount – Mature drivers may receive a small decrease in premiums.
• Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles with the same company qualifies for this discount.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
• Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings of 20% or more.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

How to Compare Schaumburg Car Insurance Rates

There are multiple methods to compare car insurance quotes, but one way is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking to insurance agencies in Schaumburg, or you could use online quoting to quickly compare rates.

Many popular insurance companies enroll in a system that enables customers to only type in their quote data once, and each company returns a competitive quote. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each company.

To find out how much you can save on car insurance click here to open in new window.

The single downside to pricing coverage this way is that consumers can’t choose the providers you want to price. If you would rather choose specific providers to receive pricing from, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Illinois. Click to view list.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If you enter higher or lower deductibles then you won’t be able to determine the best price in Schaumburg. Just a small difference in coverage limits could mean much higher rates. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing a large number of companies helps locate the best price.

Which insurance is the “right” coverage?

When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions could help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

• Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
• Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
• Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
• Who is covered by my policy?
• Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
• Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
• Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
• How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Car insurance policy coverages

Knowing the specifics of car insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are typical coverages available from car insurance companies.

Liability insurance

This protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees, loss of income and court costs. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible. Illinois requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/15,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills such as nursing services, dental work, pain medications, hospital visits and surgery. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (20/40/15), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a deer, theft and rock chips in glass. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Collision insurance

This pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, crashing into a ditch and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Buy online or local, you save

We covered quite a bit of information on how to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like Allstate and Progressive.

When trying to cut insurance costs, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and learned later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.