Is Your Grand Rapids Michigan Car Insurance Too High? Here is How to Save Money

Are you confused by the crazy number of car insurance company choices in Grand Rapids? Lot’s of other consumers are too. There are so many choices that it can turn into a big hassle to find the best price.

Consumers need to price shop coverage at least once a year because prices tend to go up over time. Just because you found the lowest rates on your last policy a different company probably has better rates today. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the things you must know in order to lower your annual insurance bill.

If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Buying the lowest cost coverage in Grand Rapids is quite easy. Nevertheless, Michigan drivers can benefit from knowing the way insurance companies market on the web and use this information to your advantage.

Comprehensive Grand Rapids Car Insurance Comparison

All the larger car insurance companies quote prices on the web. Getting quotes is quite easy as you simply enter the amount of coverage you want into the quote form. After you complete the form, the company’s rating system obtains your driving record and credit report and provides a quote based on many factors.

This streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively type in the same information can be a bit repetitive. But it is imperative to compare as many rates as possible in order to find better car insurance pricing.

Isn’t there an easier way to compare rates?

A more efficient way to locate the lowest prices utilizes a single form that obtains quotes from multiple companies. It’s a real time-saver, eliminates form submissions, and makes comparison shopping much more efficient. Immediately after you send the form, it is quoted and you can choose any or none of the price quotes you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes 15 minutes at the most and can result in significant savings.

To compare pricing, click here and enter your information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter the limits and deductibles just like they are on your policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will get a fair comparison for similar coverage.

Don’t pay full price with these discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you complete an application, but a few must be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.

• Discount for Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
• New Car Discount – Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
• Memberships – Being a member of certain professional organizations could trigger savings on car insurance.
• Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
• Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Own a Home – Owning a home in Grand Rapids may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. But any discount will bring down the cost of coverage.

To see a list of insurance companies who offer car insurance discounts in Michigan, click here to view.

Grand Rapids Rates are Influenced by These Factors

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

• Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping your vehicle from being stolen.
• Rural vs Urban Areas – Residing in a rural area can be a good thing when buying car insurance. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. City drivers tend to have much more traffic to deal with and a longer drive to work. Longer commute distances translates into higher accident risk.
• Males pay more for insurance – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women have accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
• Claim-free discounts can add up – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Companies in Michigan give cheaper rates to drivers who file claims infrequently. Car insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
• Always keep insurance in force – Driving with no insurance is against the law and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage lapse. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.

Much more information about car insurance in Michigan can be found on the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation website through this link. Visitors are able to find disaster information, view a list of available companies, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

Don’t be fooled by advertising claims

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on television and other media. All the companies make an identical promise that you’ll save big after switching to them. How can each company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver they prefer to insure. An example of a preferred risk could possibly be over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A propective insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don’t meet the requirements will be quoted higher prices which leads to the customer not buying. The ads state “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why you absolutely need to quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

A tidy conclusion

People change insurance companies for many reasons like denial of a claim, high prices, extreme rates for teen drivers or policy cancellation. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching companies is not as difficult as it may seem.

Cheap car insurance is possible on the web in addition to many Grand Rapids insurance agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just read many ideas to get a better price on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company.