Best 5 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance in Brooklyn Center, MN

No one cherishes buying auto insurance, particularly when their premiums are too high.

Online insurance companies like Allstate and Progressive continually bombard you with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to separate fact from fiction and find the best price available.

Companies offer discounts so take them!

Companies offering auto insurance don’t list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of both well-publicized as well as the least known auto insurance savings.

• Memberships – Participating in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break on auto insurance.
• Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
• Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
• Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Driving fewer miles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.

It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of companies offering auto insurance discounts in Minnesota, click this link.

Finding Auto Insurance in Brooklyn Center

When shopping for auto insurance there are multiple ways to compare rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. By far the easiest way to find the cheapest insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

1. The recommended way to find low rates is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. Completing one form compares rates instantly.
2. A more time consuming way to obtain and compare quotes online requires you to visit the website for each individual company to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s say you want to compare Nationwide, Farmers and State Farm. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

   To view a list of companies in Brooklyn Center, click here.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but be sure to compare exactly the same coverages and limits with every price quote. If you use differing limits it’s impossible to determine the best price in Brooklyn Center. Slightly different coverage limits may cause a big price difference. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that comparing more company’s prices provides better odds of finding better pricing.

Information about specific coverages

Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for bills for things like doctor visits, X-ray expenses and ambulance fees. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.

Since many Minnesota drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (30/60/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Comprehensive auto coverage

This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a broken windshield, hitting a bird and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Auto collision coverage

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

Collision can pay for claims like crashing into a building, crashing into a ditch, scraping a guard rail and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Auto liability insurance

This coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability insurance covers claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, court costs, medical expenses and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Minnesota state minimum liability requirements are 30,000/60,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.

Better coverage you can count on

Budget-conscious auto insurance can be found on the web as well as from independent agents in Brooklyn Center, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies don’t offer online quoting and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

Even more information can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Minnesota consumers can read consumer alerts, view agent and company licensing information, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.