Never Buy Taunton Car Insurance Without Knowing These Money Saving Techniques

I can’t think of a single person who likes paying for car insurance, especially knowing the cost is too high.

Lots of car insurance companies contend for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates to get the best rate

Consumers need to check car insurance prices yearly since insurance rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Just because you had the lowest rates a couple years back you will most likely find a better rate today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re about to find out one of the best ways to get good coverage at a lower rate.

If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Buying car insurance in Taunton is quite easy. But Massachusetts car owners must comprehend how companies market insurance on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.

Companies offer discounts so take them!

Companies do not advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the more hidden car insurance savings.

• Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Paperwork-free – A few companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy on their website.
• Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
• Student Driver Training – Have your child enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
• Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy auto and life insurance together.
• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Accident Forgiveness – A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.

Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it just doesn’t work that way.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Massachusetts, click here to view.

How to Compare Taunton Car Insurance Costs

When shopping for car insurance there are multiple ways of comparing price quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The quickest method to find competitive insurance rates is simply to get online rate quotes. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.

• The easiest and least time consuming way to compare a lot of rates at once would be an industry-wide quote request form click here to open form in new window. This form keeps you from doing repetitive form entry for every car insurance company. Filling out one form will get you rate comparisons from car insurance companies with the best prices.
• A more time consuming way to get comparison quotes consists of visiting each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For example, let’s assume you want rates from State Farm, Liberty Mutual and Travelers. To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker.

  For a list of links to insurance companies in Taunton, click here.

Whichever method you choose, make darn sure you compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles with every price quote. If you use mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Taunton. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages may cause a big price difference. Keep in mind that having more price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting a better price.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine premiums.

• Never allow your policy to lapse – Driving with no insurance is a misdemeanor and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a steep fine or even jail time.
• Performance makes a difference – The type of car you are insuring makes a huge difference in determining your rates. The lowest rates are generally reserved for economy passenger vehicles, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
• Your car’s features help determine rates – Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping auto theft.
• Teen drivers pay high rates – More mature drivers tend to be more responsible, file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Teenage drivers have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted when driving and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
• Rate your vehicle for proper use – The more you drive every year the higher your rates will be. Most companies apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos left parked in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your car insurance policy properly reflects the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
• Do you need the policy add-ons? – There are a lot of additional coverages that you can buy on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
• High crash test scores lower rates – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company passed on to you as lower rates.

Do I just need basic coverages?

When choosing coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Do I need rental car coverage?
• Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
• Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
• Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
• If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
• Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
• When would I need additional glass coverage?
• Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?

If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

The fine print in car insurance ads

Car insurance companies such as State Farm and Allstate constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. They all seem to make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you switch to them. How does each company make the same claim?

Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a driver they prefer could possibly be a mature driver, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. A propective insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don’t meet these standards must pay a higher premium which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. This is how companies can make the claims of big savings. This illustrates why it’s extremely important to get as many comparisons as possible. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Shop smart and save

Cheaper car insurance can be found online as well as from independent agents in Taunton, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies don’t offer online quoting and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and GEICO.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

More detailed Massachusetts car insurance information is available at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, download brochures, file complaints about a company, and view a list of available companies.