No one in their right mind likes paying for car insurance, in particular when the cost is too high. Many car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a provider to discover the definitive best price available.
It is always a good idea to compare rates before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance rates change frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest price for SLK280 coverage a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting now, forget all the misinformation about car insurance because it’s time to teach you how to quote online to lower your annual insurance bill.
Pieces of the Mercedes-Benz SLK280 rate puzzle
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels enables informed choices that could result in better car insurance rates.
- Clean credit earns discounts – Having a bad credit history is a big factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Therefore, if your credit is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your Mercedes-Benz SLK280 by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers who have good credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit scores.
- Traffic violations increase rates – Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers with clean records receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Only having one citation may increase your cost forty percent or more. Drivers who have flagrant citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
- With age comes lower rates – Young drivers are known to be careless and easily distracted in a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates. Mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
- Where you live is a factor – Choosing to live in less populated areas can save you money when it comes to car insurance. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. More time on the road means higher likelihood of an accident.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there could be available discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but a few must be asked for prior to getting the savings. If you’re not getting every credit available, you are throwing money away.
- Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for buying a policy before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies permit an accident before your rates go up if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
- Student Driver Training – Require your teen driver to enroll in driver’s education in school.
- Resident Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags can get savings of 20% or more.
- Homeowners Discount – Owning a home may trigger a car insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with one insurance company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
It’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any amount of discount will help reduce your premiums.
For a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts, click here to view.
The fine print in car insurance ads
Consumers constantly see and hear ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim of big savings if you change to them.
How does each company make the same claim?
All companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer they prefer to insure. For instance, a preferred risk might be profiled as over the age of 40, has no driving citations, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential customers who don’t meet this ideal profile must pay higher premiums which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. This is how companies can truthfully make those claims.
This illustrates why drivers should quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
Insurance agents can help
When choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions may help you determine if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- What are no-fault laws?
- Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in my state?
- Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
A little work can save a LOT of money
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Cheaper Mercedes-Benz SLK280 insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers may not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
