9 Must-Know Techniques When Looking for the Best Deal on Dillingham Car Insurance

Feel like you’re a prisoner to overpriced car insurance? Trust us when we tell you there are many people just like you. Companies like Progressive, GEICO and Farmers Insurance promote their brand names with advertising and consumers find it hard to see past the corporate glitz and find the best price available.

If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to shop for the lowest rates while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Dillingham is not rocket science. Alaska drivers just need to understand the best way to get comparison quotes on the web.

Smart Consumers Save More

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that help determine car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.

• Your location is important – Choosing to live in a rural area can save you money when insuring your vehicles. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident. Drivers in populated Alaska areas regularly have traffic congestion and longer commutes to work. Higher commute times translates into higher accident risk.
• Never go without insurance – Driving with no insurance is illegal and as a result your rates will increase for letting your coverage have a gap. Not only will you pay more, failure to provide proof of insurance will get you a revoked license or a big fine.
• Frequent car insurance claims increase rates – Auto insurance companies in Alaska provide better rates to drivers who file claims infrequently. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Auto insurance is designed for larger claims.
• How credit affects car insurance rates – Credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have poor credit.
• Men pay higher rates – Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that women are better drivers. Men and women cause accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
• Drive a safer car and pay less – Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you.
• Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability coverage will protect you if you are found to be at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.

Discounts are basically free money

Companies that sell car insurance do not list all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the best known as well as the least known car insurance savings. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Good Students Pay Less – This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
• Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
• Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags can receive discounts up to 30%.
• New Car Discount – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
• One Accident Forgiven – A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
• Life Insurance – Larger companies have better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
• No Accidents – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts compared to drivers who are more careless.

It’s important to note that most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way.

For a list of insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Dillingham, click here.

Even more information is available at the Alaska Division of Insurance website. Alaska consumers can read consumer alerts, learn about specific coverages, view a list of available companies, and discover disciplinary actions.

Other useful links include this page for car insurance prices in Alaska and this list of insurance agents in Dillingham.

Smart shoppers get results

Low-cost car insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood Dillingham agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide online quoting and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

We just covered a lot of tips how to shop for car insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate and Progressive.