Drivers have a choice when trying to find the lowest priced Pontiac Wave insurance. You can either waste hours calling around to compare prices or use the internet to compare rates.
There is a right way and a wrong way to buy car insurance and you need to know the proper way to price shop coverage on a Pontiac and find the cheapest rates.
If you are insured now or are shopping for new coverage, you can follow these tips to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. This information will familiarize you with how to effectively get price quotes. Drivers just need to understand how to shop their coverage around over the internet.
How to Compare Car Insurance Rates
Finding a lower price on Pontiac Wave insurance is not a difficult process. You just have to spend a few minutes on the computer to compare quotes from different insurance companies. This can be accomplished in several different ways.
Probably the best way to find low rates is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This form keeps you from doing separate forms to each individual car insurance company. Filling out one form gets you price quotes . It’s definitely the quickest method.
A more difficult way to obtain and compare quotes online consists of going to the website for every company you want to comare and complete a new quote form. For instance, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Allstate, State Farm and Farmers. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in your area, click here.
The most time-consuming way of comparing rate quotes is to drive around to insurance agents’ offices. The internet has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a need for the trained guidance only provided by licensed agents. You can, however, get the lowest quotes online and still use a local agent and we’ll cover that in a bit.
Whichever method you choose, ensure you’re using apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for every company. If the quotes have different liability limits you will not be able to make an equal comparison.
Discounts can save BIG
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Driver Safety – Successfully completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% for Wave insurance depending on your company.
- Military Discounts – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
- Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have a break if you buy life insurance.
- Anti-theft System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates for Wave insurance than their less cautious counterparts.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.
To see a list of insurers who offer car insurance discounts, click here.
Online quotes with a local insurance agent
A small number of people prefer to get advice from a local agent. Insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you peace of mind. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain better rates and still choose a local agent. And providing support for local insurance agencies is especially important if you live in a smaller city or town.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is sent to companies who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no need to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. How cool is that?!
Choose the right insurance agent
When searching for an insurance agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents from which to choose. agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know how they are different since it can impact the type of agent you choose
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agents are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with many different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparison shopping, we recommend you get quotes from several independent insurance agents to ensure the widest selection of prices. Most have the option of insuring with smaller regional carriers who may have lower rates.
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents can only write with one company like Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agents are very knowledgeable in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage. Some people will only purchase coverage from captives mainly due to high brand loyalty and strong financial ratings.
To view a complete directory of insurance agents, click here.
Selecting an insurance agency requires more thought than just a cheap price. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
- Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
Upon getting good answers to your questions as well as a affordable price, you have narrowed it down to a car insurance agent that is a good match to service your policy.
Parts of the Pontiac Wave rate equation
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
The following are a partial list of the pieces that factor into your rates.
- What type of vehicle do you drive? – The performance level of the car you are insuring makes a big difference in how high your rates are. The most favorable rates are for low performance passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost. Since the Pontiac Wave is considered a compact car, insuring your vehicle will cost the same to a little lower compared to average rates.
- Never go without insurance – Allowing your car insurance policy to lapse will be a guaranteed way to bump up your car insurance costs. And not only will your rates increase, failure to provide proof of insurance may earn you a steep fine or even jail time.You may need to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
- Claim-free discounts can add up – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies award lower rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Auto insurance is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Males pay more for insurance – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. They both are in accidents in similar numbers, but the males cause more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
Final thoughts
Affordable Pontiac Wave insurance can be bought from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
Insureds switch companies for any number of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, delays in responding to claim requests, policy non-renewal and even policy cancellation. Regardless of your reason, finding a new car insurance company is easier than you think.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. Too many times, someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
