Smyrna, DE Auto Insurance Buying Tips You Aren’t Supposed to Know

Finding better rates for Smyrna auto insurance is hard for people who are new to comparison shopping online. You have so many choices that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to locate the lowest price in Smyrna.

Components of your insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.

• Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are many add-on coverages that can waste your money on your policy. Coverages like personal injury protection, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
• Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Some insurance companies provide better rates to people who consolidate policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can amount to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, it’s still a good idea to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still find a better deal by buying auto insurance from a different company.
• Your occupation can affect rates – Careers like doctors, executives and dentists tend to have the highest average rates due to stressful work requirements and long work hours. Other occupations like scientists, historians and retirees receive lower rates.
• Never allow your policy to lapse – Not having insurance can get your license suspended and your next policy will cost more because you let your insurance expire. And not only will insurance be more expensive, getting caught without coverage may earn you a revoked license or a big fine.You may have to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Delaware department of motor vehicles.

How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Smyrna, DE

Shopping for lower auto insurance rates is a ton of work if you don’t understand the most efficient way to do it. You could waste a few hours talking about coverages with agents in Smyrna, or you can stay home and use the internet for quick rates.

Many insurance companies belong to an insurance system where insurance shoppers submit one quote, and each participating company provides a quote determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quote forms for each company you want a rate for. To get comparison pricing now click here to start a free quote.

The only drawback to getting quotes like this is that you can’t choose which providers you want pricing from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we have a listing of low cost auto insurance companies in Delaware. Click here for list of insurance companies in Delaware.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If you use unequal deductibles or liability limits you can’t possibly determine the best price in Smyrna.

Drivers who switch save $468 a year? Really?

Delaware consumers constantly see and hear ads that promise big savings by companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all have a common claim that you can save if you move to them.

How do they all make almost identical claims?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has a high credit rating. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who don’t qualify for these standards will have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can make those claims. Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so we break down some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.

• No Accidents – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts as compared to drivers who are more careless.
• Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
• Accident Waiver – A few companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Senior Citizens – Mature drivers may be able to get better auto insurance rates.
• Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for switching policies before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
• Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
• Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.

For a list of insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Delaware, follow this link.

Even more information is available at the Delaware Department of Insurance website. Delaware consumers can learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and find out industry alerts.

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

Affordable auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Smyrna insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some companies do not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just read many ideas to shop for auto insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the smaller companies.

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.