9 Shopping Tips Guaranteed to Save Money on Auto Insurance Costs in Baton Rouge

If online auto insurance comparisons are new to you, it’s easy to be confused by the vast number of auto insurance companies offering insurance in Baton Rouge.

It’s a good habit to check auto insurance prices every six months because insurance rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Just because you had the lowest price a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about auto insurance because it’s time to teach you the best methods to find lower rates on auto insurance.

If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to save some money using these techniques. Finding cheaper protection in Baton Rouge can be fairly easy. But Louisiana drivers can benefit from knowing the way companies compete online and apply this information to your search.

How much can you save with these nine discounts?

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Most are applied at the time you complete a quote, but some must be inquired about before you get the savings.

• Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
• Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
• Accident Waiver – Some insurance companies permit an accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
• Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
• Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks simply for signing over the internet.
• Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on the same auto insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
• No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared with drivers who are more careless.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will cut the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Baton Rouge, click this link.

Comparison of Auto Insurance in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Most major insurance companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO allow you to get price estimates on the web. This process is quite simple as you just enter your coverage preferences into a form. After you submit the form the company’s rating system automatically retrieves credit information and your driving record and returns a price.

Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s very important to have as many quotes as possible in order to find a lower rate.

There is a better way!

The quickest way to locate the lowest prices requires only one form that obtains quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, reduces the work, and makes online shopping a lot less work. After your information is entered, it is quoted and you can select any or none of the quotes returned.

If you find a better price it’s easy to complete the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes and could lower your rates considerably.

To get comparison pricing now, click here and begin entering your coverage information. To compare your current rates, we recommend you replicate the coverage information exactly as they are listed on your policy. Doing this assures you will get a price comparison for the exact same coverage.

How much car insurance do I need?

When it comes to choosing coverage for your vehicles, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

• Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
• Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
• When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
• Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
• Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
• Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?
• Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?

If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.

Auto insurance policy specifics

Having a good grasp of a auto insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for expenses such as hospital visits, nursing services, chiropractic care, funeral costs and pain medications. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Coverage for liability

This coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to people or other property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see values of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.

Liability can pay for claims like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, bail bonds, court costs and legal defense fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but buy as large an amount as possible. Louisiana state law requires minimum liability limits of 15,000/30,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.

Collision insurance

This covers damage to your vehicle from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against claims like scraping a guard rail, backing into a parked car, rolling your car, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (15/30/25 in Louisiana), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Comprehensive auto coverage

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as rock chips in glass, vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and hail damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Final thoughts

As you prepare to switch companies, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

Consumers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as policy non-renewal, delays in responding to claim requests, unfair underwriting practices or even high rates after DUI convictions. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to get a better price on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with the smaller companies.