How to Know You’re Paying Too Much for Car Insurance in Sedalia

I can’t think of a single person who likes having to buy car insurance, especially knowing the price is too high. Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly blast consumers with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to ignore the promise of big savings and find the best price available.

It’s smart to shop coverage around yearly because insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you found the lowest price a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the best methods to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Don’t miss out on these money-saving discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise every available discount very clearly, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Own a Home – Owning a house in Sedalia can save you money because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
• New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
• Clubs and Organizations – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
• Safety Course Discount – Taking a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
• One Accident Forgiven – A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free car insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

To see a list of insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Sedalia, click here.

Do I need special coverages?

When choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions can help discover whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
• Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
• Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
• Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
• Is my vehicle covered for smoke damage?
• Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
• What is the minimum liability in Missouri?
• Do I need roadside assistance coverage?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider 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 only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

The car insurance bait and switch

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by companies like State Farm and Allstate. They all say the same thing that you can save after switching to them.

How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer might be a mature driver, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A customer who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when switching.

Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile must pay higher premiums which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the savings. This illustrates why drivers should compare as many rates as you can. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, find out which companies have the most complaints, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

One last thing

We just covered a lot of techniques to get a better price on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and GEICO.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford.

Affordable car insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood Sedalia agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies may not provide online quoting and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.