How to Find the Cheapest Price on Bridgeport Car Insurance

Feel like you’re a prisoner to high-priced car insurance? Believe me, you’re not alone.

Having so many online and local companies to choose from, it’s difficult to pick the cheapest provider.

Smart consumers take time to check car insurance prices occasionally because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Even if you got the best rates a year ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the easiest way to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

Compare Bridgeport Car Insurance Costs

To find the best car insurance prices, there are several ways of comparing rate quotes from local in Bridgeportcar insurance companies. The best method to compare insurance prices is simply to get online rate quotes. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

The recommended way to get quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This easy form keeps you from doing multiple quote forms for every car insurance company. One quote request will get you rate comparisons direct from many companies.

A different way to get comparison quotes consists of visiting each company website and complete a new quote form. For example, let’s say you want to compare Liberty Mutual, Allstate and GMAC. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Bridgeport, click here.

The hardest way to get comparison rates is driving around to local Bridgeport insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you have a need for the professional guidance only provided by licensed Bridgeport agents. Drivers can compare online quotes and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll cover that in a bit.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles on every quote you get. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits you can’t possibly make a fair comparison in Bridgeport. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages could mean much higher rates. And when quoting car insurance, remember that having more price comparisons helps you find a better price.

Can switching companies really save?

Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. All the companies have a common claim that you’ll save big if you switch your policy. How can each company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a desirable insured might be over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and has a high credit rating. A customer getting a price quote that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Consumers who do not match the “perfect” profile will be quoted higher rates which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully claim big savings.

This emphasizes why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which car insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Cut your car insurance rates with discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

• Service Members Pay Less – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
• Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home demonstrates responsibility.
• Organization Discounts – Participating in certain professional organizations may earn a discount on car insurance.
• Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky. Any qualifying discounts will cut the cost of coverage.

What if I want to buy from a local Bridgeport agent?

A small number of people would prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! The best thing about comparing rates online is you can get lower rates but also keep your business local. Buying from small agencies is definitely important in Bridgeport.

To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will return price quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your house since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to work with.

Choose the right insurance agent

When looking for a local agent, there are a couple of different types of agents to choose from. Agents are categorized either captive or independent.

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the agent simply finds a different carrier without you having to go to a different agency.

When searching for an agent, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.

The following is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Bridgeport who may be able to give you pricing information.

Infinity Agency – 519 Westfield Ave – Bridgeport, CT 06606 – (203) 373-0062
L P Puteri Agency Inc – 4750 Main St – Bridgeport, CT 06606 – (203) 374-9266
Auto-Cycle Insurance Inc – 2050 E Main St – Bridgeport, CT 06610 – (203) 366-2000
Fitzpatrick Agency Inc – 840 Clinton Ave – Bridgeport, CT 06604 – (203) 336-2138
William D Balamaci Insurance – 470 Beechwood Ave – Bridgeport, CT 06604 – (203) 576-0757

Captive Agents

Captive agencies are contracted to one company and some examples include Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. These agents are not able to give you multiple price quotes so they have to upsell other benefits. These agents are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.

Below is a short list of captive insurance agents in Bridgeport that can give you comparison quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 1375 Madison Ave – Bridgeport, CT 06606 – (203) 576-0464
State Farm Insurance – 920 Broad St – Bridgeport, CT 06604 – (203) 615-0007

For a full directory of captive agencies in Bridgeport, go to this page.

Deciding on an auto insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap price. Here are some questions to ask:

• Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
• Is assistance available after office hours?
• Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
• Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
• Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?

Once you have answers to your satisfaction to your questions and a good coverage price, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.

More information is available on the website for the Connecticut Insurance Department found here. Connecticut drivers can report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, find out industry alerts, and view agent and company licensing information.

Summing up your car insurance search

In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to save on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from the least-expected company. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.

When you buy insurance online, don’t be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped full coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price.