Best Car Insurance Exclusively for Salem Residents

Saving money on Salem car insurance is always challenging for people who are new to comparing rates online. There are so many companies to choose from that it can easily become a real hassle to find the best price in Salem.

It’s smart to compare prices once or twice a year since insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the best rates a year ago a different company probably has better rates today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re about to find out the fastest way to find better coverage at a better price.

What impacts Salem insurance rates?

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

Optional equipment can affect rates – Owning a car with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent auto theft.
Claim-free discounts can add up – Car insurance companies in Oregon generally give lower rates to people who file claims infrequently. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance coverage is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Safer cars can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Males pay more for insurance – Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. Both sexes cause accidents in similar numbers, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving.
How many coverages with the same company – Some car insurance companies will award you with lower prices to people who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. If you currently are using one company, it’s in your best interest to compare rates to ensure the best deal. Drivers may still find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Careers like lawyers, architects and accountants have higher rates than average because of stressful work requirements and long work days. On the flip side, occupations such as pilots, athletes and performers get better rates.
Proper usage rating affects rates – The more you drive in a year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that are left in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Verify your car insurance policy is rated on the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
Big city or small town – Being located in less populated areas is a positive aspect when buying car insurance. Drivers in populated areas regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population translates into fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.

Salem Car Insurance Quote Comparison

When shopping for car insurance there are multiple ways of comparing rate quotes from local in Salemcar insurance companies. By far the easiest way to compare insurance prices is to get quotes online. This can be done in several different ways.

The recommended way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This easy form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for each company. Taking the time to complete one form will return price quotes from several companies. It’s definitely the quickest method.
A more difficult way to compare rate quotes consists of visiting each individual company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, let’s say you want rates from Farmers, Safeco and GMAC. To find out each rate you need to spend time on each company’s site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Salem, click here.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverages with every price quote. If you have different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to make a fair comparison in Salem. Slightly different insurance coverages may result in a large different in cost. Just remember that having more price comparisons provides better odds of finding the best price.

Do drivers who switch really save?

Companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream television and radio advertisements. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big after switching to their company. How does each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

All companies can use profiling for the right customer they prefer to insure. For example, a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and chooses high deductibles. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential customers who fall outside the requirements will be quoted more money which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. This is how companies can state the savings. This emphasizes why drivers should get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Save money by taking advantage of these discounts

Auto insurance companies don’t list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so we researched both well-publicized as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance.

Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
Driver Safety – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance from them.
Homeowners Pay Less – Being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
Drivers Ed for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class in school.
Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Multiple Vehicles – Having multiple vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
E-sign – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy online.
55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.

It’s important to note that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

For a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Salem, click this link.

Even more information can be found at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find disaster information, and report car insurance fraud.

More effort can pay off

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

People who switch companies do it for many reasons like unfair underwriting practices, high rates after DUI convictions, policy cancellation or poor customer service. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new car insurance company can be less work than you think.

Throughout this article, we presented many ideas to shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.