Top 5 Methods to Save on Auto Insurance in Rockford

Finding the lowest cost Rockford auto insurance online can be difficult for consumers not familiar with online price comaprisons. With so many companies competing online, how can Rockford drivers even start to compare every company to locate the best price?

It’s a great practice to price shop coverage once or twice a year because prices are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best price a couple years back you will most likely find a better rate today. There is too much inaccurate information about auto insurance on the internet, so with this article, you’re going to get a lot of great tips on how to find cheap auto insurance.

Lots of discounts mean lots of savings

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Most are applied when you get a quote, but some must be specifically requested before you get the savings. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags can receive discounts of more than 20%.
• One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
• New Car Discount – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can cost up to 25% less compared to insuring an older model.
• Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.

It’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Rockford, IL

There are a variety of methods to compare auto insurance prices but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You could waste time discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Rockford, or you could save time and use online quotes to get the quickest rates.

All the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each participating company provides a quote based on that information. This saves time by eliminating form submissions to every company. To enter your information into the quoting system, click here (opens in new window).

The one downside to doing it this way is that you can’t choose which carriers you want pricing from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we put together a list of companies who write auto insurance in Illinois. Click to view list.

It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you’re using identical coverages and limits for each comparison quote. If you are comparing different liability limits it’s not possible to find the best deal in Rockford.

Auto insurance coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, theft, a broken windshield, damage from flooding and hail damage. The most your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Collision protection

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things such as driving through your garage door, crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

UM/UIM Coverage

This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since many Illinois drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Illinois limits are 20/40/15), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Medical costs insurance

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for short-term medical expenses such as nursing services, doctor visits and rehabilitation expenses. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers you and your occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Auto liability insurance

This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see values of 25/50/25 that translate to a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things such as loss of income, emergency aid and funeral expenses. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Illinois state minimum liability requirements are 20,000/40,000/15,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.

Keep this in mind

Affordable auto insurance can be bought from both online companies and with local Rockford insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to save on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where an insured cut physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.