How to Know You’re Paying Too Much for Car Insurance in Oregon City, OR

Nobody looks forward to paying for car insurance, in particular when the price is too high. Drivers have so many car insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and although it’s nice to have multiple companies, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates and cut insurance costs.

Don’t pay full price with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both well-publicized and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Club Memberships – Participating in a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break on your policy.
• Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• One Accident Forgiven – A few companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiration. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
• Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.

It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

To choose providers offering car insurance discounts in Oregon City, click here to view.

Buy Cheaper Car Insurance with These Tips

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

• Always keep insurance in force – Not having insurance is a misdemeanor and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance expire. Not only will you pay more, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you a license revocation or jail time.You may have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Oregon motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
• Small claims can cost you – Insurance companies in Oregon provide discounts to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance is intended to be relied upon for larger claims.
• Poor credit can mean higher rates – Having a bad credit score is a large factor in determining your rates. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records as compared to drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit is low, you could potentially save money when insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
• Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
• Where you reside plays a part – Living in less populated areas has it’s advantages when it comes to car insurance. City drivers regularly have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions may help highlight if you will benefit from professional help.

• Where can I get insurance after a DUI in Oregon?
• What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?
• Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
• I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
• Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
• Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
• Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
• Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
• Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
• Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.

But buying car insurance online seems impersonal

Some people would prefer to talk to a local agent. Good agents can point out coverage gaps and help submit paperwork. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain the best rates but also keep your business local.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Oregon City who will battle for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy!

Selecting an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
• What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
• Which company do they place the most coverage with?
• If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
• Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?

Two different types of car insurance agents

When searching for a reputable insurance agent or broker, you need to know there are two types of agencies that you can select. Agents can either be captive or independent (non-captive). While both can write coverage properly, but it’s worth learning how they differ because it can influence your selection of an agent.

Agency Captives

Captive agencies are contracted to one company such as Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so they have no alternatives for high prices. These agents are very knowledgeable on their company’s products which can be an advantage.

The following is a short list of captive agents in Oregon City who may provide you with price quote information.

American Family Insurance – 956 Molalla Ave – Oregon City, OR 97045 – (503) 723-7707
Farmers Insurance Group – 2264 Molalla Ave – Oregon City, OR 97045 – (503) 655-7724
Allstate Insurance – 914 Molalla Ave # 102 – Oregon City, OR 97045 – (503) 657-3270
State Farm Insurance – 294 Warner Milne Rd # B – Oregon City, OR 97045 – (503) 655-3433

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent insurance agents are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparison shopping, it’s recommended you get quotes from at least one independent agent to have the most options to choose from.

Below is a short list of independent agencies in Oregon City who can help you get rate quotes.

Insurance Express – – Oregon City, OR 97045 – (503) 722-5810
Stacy Spahr Insurance – 365 Warner Milne Rd – Oregon City, OR 97045 – (503) 632-7001

For a full directory of car insurance agents in Oregon City, visit this link.

Once you have positive responses to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, chances are good that you have found a car insurance agent that meets your needs to insure your vehicles.

Don’t believe everything you hear

Oregon consumers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from the likes of State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all say the same thing that you’ll save big if you move your coverage to them.

But how can every company make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. For example, a preferred risk might be profiled as between 25 and 40, has no prior claims, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who matches those parameters will get very good rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.

Consumers who don’t meet these standards must pay higher rates which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how companies can advertise the way they do. This illustrates why you absolutely need to get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Consumer car insurance information in Oregon

More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Oregon Insurance Division website. Oregon consumers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, and view agent and company licensing information.

Also read more on FindNewCarInsurance.com and this page where you can research Oregon City insurance agents.

Do the work, save more money

Low-cost car insurance is available both online and with local Oregon City insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies do not offer online quoting and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped full coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price.