Best 5 Methods to Save on Car Insurance in Conway, SC

Paying for high-priced car insurance can empty your checking account and put a big crunch on your finances. Doing a price comparison is free and is an excellent way to help make ends meet. Numerous insurance companies battle for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurance company to find the best rate

If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can learn to find the best rates and still get good coverage. Buying car insurance in Conway is easy if you know what you’re doing. South Carolina drivers just need to learn the tricks to compare prices on the web.

Do you qualify for these 5 discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, buy you may qualify for discounts to help offset the cost. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of purchase, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings. If you’re not getting every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.

Claim Free – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts compared to bad drivers.
Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home can save you money because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
Federal Government Employee – Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount with select insurance companies.
Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Payment Method – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.

It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will cut the amount you have to pay.

For a list of insurance companies who offer car insurance discounts in Conway, click this link.

Buying car insurance from a local agent

Some consumers would rather talk to a local agent and that is a personal choice. Educated insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you peace of mind. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is you can get the best rates and still choose a local agent. And providing support for local businesses is important especially in Conway.

After completing this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is submitted to insurance agents in Conway who will battle for your insurance coverage. You never need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox.

The following is a list of car insurance companies in Conway that may be able to provide rate quotes.

Bradham Insurance – 1323 4th Ave, Conway, SC 29526 – (843) 488-2886
First Insurance Svc Inc – 405 Blossom St, Conway, SC 29526 – (843) 488-3735
Allstate Insurance – 1602 Main St, Conway, SC 29526 – (843) 248-5200
Farm Bureau Insurance – 3873 Highway 501 W, Conway, SC 29526 – (843) 365-8580
State Farm Insurance – 1305 Main St, Conway, SC 29526 – (843) 248-5911

Deciding on an insurer needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price. These questions are important to ask:

Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
Will your rates increase after a single accident?
How are claims handled?
What insurance company do they write the most business with?
Are claims handled at the agent’s location?

After getting positive responses to any questions you have and locked in a price quote, chances are good that you have found an insurer that can properly service your car insurance policy. Keep in mind policyholders can terminate coverage for any reason so don’t think you are locked into a specific agent for the entire policy term.

The fine print in car insurance ads

Consumers in South Carolina can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies say the same thing of big savings if you switch to their company. save money concept

How can each company claim to save you money?

Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 50, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who do not match this ideal profile will be quoted higher rates which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s why insurance companies can advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must get as many quotes as possible. You cannot predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Information about specific coverages

Knowing the specifics of your policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are typical coverages available from car insurance companies.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses like X-ray expenses, EMT expenses and rehabilitation expenses. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 25/50/25), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Usually these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Comprehensive insurance

This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hitting a bird, hitting a deer, fire damage and hail damage. The most your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against things such as sideswiping another vehicle, scraping a guard rail and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Auto liability insurance

Liability coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as medical expenses, attorney fees and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. South Carolina requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

Additional car insurance information can be found on the website for the South Carolina Department of Insurance located here. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, find disaster information, view a list of available companies, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

In conclusion

As you shop your coverage around, you should never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

We just showed you many ideas to lower your car insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.