Arvada Auto Insurance Buying Tips You Aren’t Supposed to Know

Finding lower rates for Arvada auto insurance can seem to be a challenge for people who are new to buying insurance online. You have so many options that it can quickly become a real hassle to compare prices in Arvada.

How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Arvada, CO

Shopping for lower auto insurance rates is a ton of work if you don’t understand the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day talking to agents in Arvada, or you can utilize the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

Most car insurance companies enroll in a system where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each company returns a competitive quote. This system prevents you from having to do quote requests for each company.

To access this free quoting program, click here (opens in new window).

The single downside to getting quotes like this is buyers cannot specifically choose which insurance companies you want pricing from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies to compare, we have a listing of companies who write auto insurance in Colorado. Click here to view list.

Which method you use is up to you, but make absolute certain that you use the exact same information for every quote you compare. If your comparisons have different values for each quote it’s not possible to determine the best price in Arvada.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Car insurance can cost a lot, 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 quote, but some must be asked for before you will receive the discount. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Use Seat Belts – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could cut 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
• Driver’s Ed – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
• Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle on the same auto insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and will save you 10% or more.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Senior Discount – Mature drivers may qualify for reduced rates.
• New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
• Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up before your current policy expires. It can save you around 10%.
• Accident Waiver – A few companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will help reduce the amount you have to pay.

For a list of insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Colorado, click this link.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get big savings.

• Where you reside plays a part – Residing in a rural area can save you money when it comes to auto insurance. City drivers have to deal with traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Fewer drivers means reduced accidents.
• Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Most auto insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you may still want to compare rates to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still be able to find a better deal by splitting coverages up.
• Is your vehicle built for speed? – The performance of the vehicle you drive makes a significant difference in your rates. Economy passenger vehicles usually have the lowest rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
• Poor driving leads to higher costs – Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Only having one moving violation can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Careful drivers get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.

Beware of misleading auto insurance ads

Consumers in Colorado get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all make the same claim that you can save if you switch your coverage to them.

How can each company claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, owns a home, and has a short commute. A driver who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who don’t measure up to this ideal profile will be charged higher premiums which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims.

That is why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. You cannot predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Buy online or local, you save

Cheap auto insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Arvada, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies don’t offer online quoting and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

We just showed you many ideas to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the best prices are with a small mutual company.

Additional information is available on the Colorado DORA Division of Insurance website found here. Colorado drivers can learn about specific coverages, find out industry alerts, read state legal mandates and laws, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.