Have you had enough of scraping the payment together to buy car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other drivers. Companies like GEICO, Progressive and Allstate promote their brand names with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to avoid their marketing magic and do the work needed to find the best deal.
Smart consumers take time to do rate comparisons quite often because prices change regularly. Just because you found the best price on xD insurance two years ago you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to find out the best methods to find great coverage at a great price.
You probably qualify for some discounts
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, buy you may qualify for discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you are throwing money away.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Scion could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
- College Student – Youth drivers living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Being a homeowner can save you money because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
- Defensive Driver – Taking part in a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Driver’s Ed – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
- Payment Method – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you could save 5% or more.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
It’s important to note that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the cost of coverage.
To choose providers who offer car insurance discounts, follow this link.
What about my local agents?
Some people would rather talk to a local agent and that is just fine! Educated insurance agents can answer important questions and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying from local businesses is definitely important in small towns and cities.
Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is submitted to insurance agents who will battle for your business. There is no need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent to your email. Now that’s easy!
Types of car insurance agents
When finding a local agent, you must know there are a couple different agency structures that you can select. Agents are either independent or captive. Either one can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning the difference between them since it may influence buying decisions.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agencies are not locked into one company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent. When searching for an agent, you should always include several independent insurance agents to get the best comparison.
Captive Agents
This type of agents can only place business with one company such as Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Allstate and AAA. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. Captives are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
To view a full list of agencies, click here.
Choosing an insurance agency should depend on more than just the price. These are valid questions to ask:
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- How are claims handled?
After getting reasonable responses to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found an insurance agent that can properly insure your vehicles.
Do drivers who switch really save $386 a year?
Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance by companies like State Farm and Allstate. All the companies make the same claim that you can save after switching to them.
How does each company make almost identical claims?
All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential insureds who don’t qualify for this ideal profile will be charged higher prices which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can advertise the savings.
That is why you need to compare as many rates as you can. It is impossible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.
Better coverage you can count on
We just showed you a lot of tips how to save on Scion xD insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with the least-expected company. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like Allstate and Progressive.
As you restructure your insurance plan, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.
