Auto Insurance in Williamsport – 7 Ways to Better Rates

Overpriced auto insurance can overdraw your personal savings, especially in this economy. Comparing price quotes is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to make sure you’re not throwing money away.

Insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO and Farmers Insurance all promote huge savings with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and take the time to shop coverage around.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Finding the best rates in Williamsport is quite easy. But Pennsylvania vehicle owners must know how big insurance companies sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.

How much can you save with these seven discounts?

Car insurance is not cheap, but there are discounts available that you may not even be aware of. Most are applied when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested prior to getting the savings.

• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
• Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of certain professional organizations may earn a discount when shopping for auto insurance.
• Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
• Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.

It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To choose insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Williamsport, click here to view.

You may need specialized coverage

When buying proper insurance coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s needs are different so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.

• Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
• Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
• Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
• What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
• Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
• Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
• How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Pennsylvania?
• Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?

If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Quote online but still have a local agent

Certain consumers would rather buy from a local agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain better rates but still work with a licensed agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is especially important in Williamsport.

To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You never need to drive around because quoted prices will be sent to the email address you provide. How cool is that?! It’s the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

How to choose the best auto insurance agent in Williamsport

When searching for local Williamsport agents, there are a couple of types of agencies that you can select. Agencies in Williamsport are categorized either captive or independent (non-captive).

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent agencies are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency. When shopping rates, it’s a good idea to contact at least one independent agent for the best price selection.

Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in Williamsport that can give you price quotes.

Kutney Agency – 1028 Washington Blvd – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 322-8909
Rosemarie Lugg Agency – 1431 Washington Blvd – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 320-2840
Brian Martino Agency – 455 Elmira St – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 322-1700
Nationwide Insurance – 1775 Dewey Ave – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 326-7051
Gronski Lehman Insurance – 1020 Washington Blvd – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 322-3743

Captive Agents

These agents are contracted to one company like AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. These agents are not able to provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agencies are trained well on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage.

Listed below is a list of captive agencies in Williamsport who can help you get rate quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 921 Westminster Dr # 2 – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 326-6645
State Farm Insurance – 1945 W 4th St – Williamsport, PA 17701 – (570) 323-2111

For a complete listing of captive insurance agencies in Williamsport, go to this page.

Selecting an insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. These are valid questions to ask:

• How are claims handled?
• How long has their agency been open in Williamsport?
• Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Pennsylvania?
• How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
• If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?

After getting positive responses to these questions as well as a affordable price, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that is a good match to adequately provide auto insurance.

Save $388 a year? Really?

Companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the ads say the same thing of big savings if you change your coverage to them. How can each company claim to save you money?

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who fits that profile will get very good rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Consumers who fall outside these standards will have to pay higher prices which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That is how companies can advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to compare many company’s rates. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Pennsylvania auto insurance information

Much more information about auto insurance in Pennsylvania can be found on the website for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department found here. Consumers can view a list of available companies, download brochures, read state legal mandates and laws, and report car insurance fraud.

Educate yourself about auto insurance coverages

Having a good grasp of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.

Comprehensive coverages – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, vandalism, damage from a tornado or hurricane and fire damage. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Collision coverage – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, scraping a guard rail and damaging your car on a curb. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This coverage provides protection when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Pennsylvania limits are 15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Normally these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for things like doctor visits, X-ray expenses, chiropractic care and surgery. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Liability – Liability coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability coverage protects against things such as bail bonds, attorney fees, loss of income, emergency aid and pain and suffering. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Pennsylvania requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/5,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.

In conclusion

We just covered a lot of tips how to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Drivers may discover the best prices are with a small local company. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like GEICO and State Farm.

Affordable auto insurance is attainable both online and with local Williamsport insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.