Expert Advice on Cheaper Dover Auto Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Shopping your coverage around is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to tighten up your finances. Companies like State Farm, Progressive and GEICO all claim big savings with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see through the deception and find the best price available.

It’s a great practice to check auto insurance prices occasionally since insurance rates change frequently. Even if you think you had the best deal on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn one of the easiest ways to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.

If you are insured now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to reduce the price you pay while maintaining coverages. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Dover is not rocket science. New Hampshire vehicle owners just need to know the proper way to compare company rates online.

How to Get Auto Insurance in Dover, New Hampshire

Getting a cheaper price on insurance can be relatively painless. All you need to do is take a couple of minutes comparing rate quotes from different insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.

The first (and easiest) way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This form saves time by eliminating separate quotation requests for each company. One quote request will get you price quotes .
A more time consuming way to find lower rates requires visiting the website of each company and fill out their own quote form. For examples sake, let’s assume you want comparison quotes from Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. To find out each rate you need to take the time to go to each site and enter your information, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to insurance companies in Dover, click here.
The most time-consuming method to get comparison rates to different agent offices. The ability to buy insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you have a need for the personal advice of a licensed agent. However, consumers can get prices online and still use a local agent.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just compare the exact same coverage limits with each company. If you use different liability limits it’s impossible to make a fair comparison in Dover.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be asked about before being credited. If you’re not getting every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

New Car Discount – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you will save 10% to 20% off each policy.
Life Insurance Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy life insurance from them.
Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Lower Rates for Military – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

For a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in New Hampshire, click this link.

Don’t I need to talk to an agent?

Some people just want to buy from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Educated insurance agents can help determine the best coverages and help you file claims. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you may find the best rates but also keep your business local. And supporting local businesses is definitely important in Dover.

After filling out this simple form, your insurance data is submitted to local insurance agents in Dover who will compete for your coverage. There is no need to even leave your home as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. Now that’s easy!

If you prefer to view licensed agents in Dover, view this link.

Deciding on an insurer should depend on more than just the price. These questions are important to ask:

Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
Do they assist clients in filing claims?
Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in New Hampshire?
Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
Can they give you a list of client referrals?

Once you have received satisfactory answers for all questions you ask in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s possible that you found an insurer that will service your policy.

Lower your Dover Auto Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Don’t sacrifice liability coverage – Your policy’s liability coverage is the protection if ever a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
Better credit means lower rates – Having a bad credit score is a huge factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Safer cars get lower rates. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
Men are more aggressive – Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. They both tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
What type of vehicle do you drive? – The performance of the car you are insuring makes a big difference in your rates. The lowest rates are usually for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Occupations such as doctors, architects and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates in part from stressful work requirements and long work days. Other occupations like pilots, historians and retirees have the lowest average rates.
Multi-policy discounts can save money – Many companies will award you with lower prices to customers who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you still need to compare other company rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still find a better deal by splitting coverages up.

Auto insurance myths debunked

Consumers in New Hampshire get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to have a common claim that you’ll save big if you change to their company.

How does each company claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer they prefer to insure. For example, a preferred risk could be between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Drivers who don’t meet the requirements will have to pay more money and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

One last thing

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the most savings is with an unexpected company. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

Cheaper auto insurance can be purchased online and with local Dover insurance agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

Much more information about auto insurance in New Hampshire is available on the website for the New Hampshire Insurance Department found here. Visitors are able to read state legal mandates and laws, find a variety of consumer forms, view agent and company licensing information, and discover disciplinary actions.

Additional helpful sites include this site for auto insurance rates in New Hampshire and this page where you can research Dover insurance agents.