Is Your Pontiac, MI Car Insurance Too High?

Nobody I know looks forward to buying car insurance, particularly when the cost is way too high.

Having so many options, it’s nearly impossible to pick the lowest price company.

Comprehensive Pontiac Car Insurance Comparison

Comparing car insurance rates can be challenging if you don’t understand the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day driving to local insurance agents in Pontiac, or you could use online quotes to get rates in a matter of minutes.

All the larger companies take part in a program where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and every company then returns a price quote based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to each individual car insurance company.

To find out how much you can save on car insurance click here (opens in new window).

One minor caviat to getting quotes like this is you cannot specify the companies you want to price. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in Michigan. View list of Michigan insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you’re using the exact same coverages with every price quote. If you enter different deductibles it will be next to impossible to make a fair comparison in Pontiac. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. It’s important to know that comparing more company’s prices gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates.

Discounts are great for lower rates

Companies don’t necessarily list every available discount very well, so here is a list both well-publicized and the more hidden car insurance savings.

  • Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
  • Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
  • New Car Discount – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Theft Prevention System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Memberships – Participating in a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
  • Homeowners Discount – Owning a house in Pontiac may trigger a car insurance policy discount due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
  • Good Student Discount – A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
  • Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with select insurance companies.
  • Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To see a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Pontiac, follow this link.

Quote online but work with a neighborhood agent

Some people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can obtain the best rates and still choose a local agent.Pontiac MI car insurance prices

After completing this simple form, the coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents in Pontiac who will battle for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to drive around as quotes are delivered directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier! You’ll get the best rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Deciding on an insurer shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Agents should be asked these questions:

  • If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
  • Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
  • Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
  • Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
  • Do they make recommendations based only on price?

Pontiac car insurance agents are either independent or captive

If you’re trying to find local Pontiac agents, there are a couple of different types of agents from which to choose. Agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive).

Captive Insurance Agents

This type of agents are contracted to one company and examples are Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. Captives cannot place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Captive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents.

Shown below is a list of captive agencies in Pontiac willing to provide price quote information.

Farmers Insurance Group – 631 Cesar E Chavez Ave – Pontiac, MI 48342 – (248) 334-1680
State Farm Insurance – 638 Martin Luther King Blvd N – Pontiac, MI 48342 – (248) 334-6921
Allstate Insurance – 625 W Huron St – Pontiac, MI 48341 – (248) 333-3434

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent agencies are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally and that require little work on your part. When comparison shopping, you should always include price quotes from multiple independent agents to get the best comparison.

The following is a short list of independent agencies in Pontiac that are able to give price quotes.

Parks Agency – 100 N Saginaw St # A – Pontiac, MI 48342 – (248) 454-6500
Glenn Kaplan Agency – 331 W Walton Blvd – Pontiac, MI 48340 – (248) 335-5592
G and P Agency LLC – 331 W Walton Blvd – Pontiac, MI 48340 – (248) 456-1000
Victory Insurance – 31 Oakland Ave – Pontiac, MI 48342 – (248) 253-7324
Pontiac Insurance – 49751 Woodward Ave – Pontiac, MI 48342 – (248) 758-9700

For a full directory of licensed insurance agents in Pontiac, click here to link.

After receiving answers to your satisfaction to all your questions and an acceptable price quote, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that can properly service your car insurance policy.

Different people need different coverages

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
  • Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
  • Who is covered by my policy?
  • Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
  • Does my vehicle qualify for pleasure use?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

More detailed Michigan car insurance information can be read at the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation website. Michigan consumers can find disaster information, discover disciplinary actions, view agent and company licensing information, and report car insurance fraud.

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Shop smart and save

Cost effective car insurance can be purchased online and with local Pontiac insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

We covered a lot of information how to compare car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even discover the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate or State Farm.

When shopping online for car insurance, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate.