Car Insurance in Hickory – 8 Discounts to Lower Rates

Finding cheap Hickory car insurance over the internet can be problematic for consumers new to online price comaprisons. With so many insurance companies available, how can consumers have a chance to compare them all to find the best available rates?

Choosing the best insurance company for you in Hickory is not rocket science. If you have a current car insurance policy or are just looking to switch companies, you can use this information to shop for the lowest rates and still get good coverage. North Carolina vehicle owners only need an understanding of the proper way to shop their coverage around over the internet.

Save money by taking advantage of these eight discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list all available discounts very clearly, so here is a list both well-publicized and the more hidden car insurance savings. If you’re not getting every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Organization Discounts – Belonging to a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying car insurance.
• Paperless Signup – A few companies will give a small break for buying your policy on their website.
• Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
• Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
• Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts when compared with frequent claim filers.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Having multiple cars or trucks with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
• One Accident Forgiven – Certain companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a set time period.

It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of providers who offer car insurance discounts in Hickory, click here.

Are insurance agents obsolete?

A small number of people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is a personal choice. Professional agents can help determine the best coverages and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is you can get lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, your information gets sent to insurance agents in Hickory who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no reason to leave your house as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address.

Choosing an insurer should depend on more than just a cheap price. These are valid questions to ask:

• Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
• Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
• Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
• Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
• Will your rates increase after a single accident?
• If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
• Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
• What insurance company do they write the most business with?

If you prefer to select a specific agent in Hickory, visit this site.

Upon receiving reasonable responses to any questions you have and locked in a price quote, you’ve probably found an insurance company that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy. Keep in mind consumers can cancel your policy at any time so never assume that you’re stuck with any specific agency with no way to switch.

Will just any policy work for me?

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Every insured’s situation is different.

Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.

• Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
• Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
• Am I getting all the discounts available?
• Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
• Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
• Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you might consider talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form. It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.

Car insurance coverages and their meanings

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Liability – This coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to people or other 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 values of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage pays for claims like structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, pain and suffering, attorney fees and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. North Carolina state law requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.

Comprehensive car insurance – This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as hitting a deer, rock chips in glass and fire damage. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This provides protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since many North Carolina drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (30/60/25 in North Carolina), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Coverage for medical expenses – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses for things like doctor visits, nursing services, funeral costs, rehabilitation expenses and dental work. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Collision – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things like colliding with another moving vehicle, damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail, backing into a parked car and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Additional detailed information can be found at the North Carolina Department of Insurance website. North Carolina consumers can get help finding coverage, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, view agent and company licensing information, and find out industry alerts.

And the best car insurance company is…

When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. Too many times, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

People leave their current company for many reasons like not issuing a premium refund, extreme rates for teen drivers, high rates after DUI convictions or delays in responding to claim requests. Whatever your reason, finding a new company can be easy and end up saving you some money.

Discount car insurance is definitely available online and with local Hickory insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.