Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, there are many people just like you.
Drivers have multiple insurers to buy insurance from, and even though it’s nice to have a selection, it can be more challenging to compare rates.
Buying car insurance is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. But drivers must know the methods companies use to market on the web and apply this information to your search.
Saturn SC1 insurance premiums are calculated by many factors
It’s important that you understand the factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better auto insurance rates.
Listed below are some of the factors companies use to determine your rates.
- Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are many additional coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Things like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These coverages may sound good initially, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- Marriage brings a discount – Getting married can actually save you money on your policy. Having a spouse means you’re more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
- High crash test scores lower rates – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Saturn SC1 earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may qualify for a discount.
- Theft deterrents lower rates – Purchasing a vehicle that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
How to Get Cheap Auto Insurance
All the larger auto insurance companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO give coverage price quotes on the web. This process is fairly simple as you just enter the coverages you want into a form. After you complete the form, their rating system obtains information on your driving record and credit history and generates pricing information based on many factors. This streamlines rate comparisons, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. But it’s very important to get many rate quotes if you want to find a lower rate.
A more efficient way to compare rates is to use a quote form to get prices from a bunch of companies at once. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes quoting online much simpler. Immediately after you send the form, your coverage is rated and you are able to buy your choice of the quotes returned. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. The entire process takes less than 15 minutes and could lower your rates considerably.
In order to compare rates now, simply click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you duplicate the insurance coverages exactly as shown on your declarations page. Doing this assures you will get a price comparison using the same coverage and limits.
You probably qualify for some discounts
Companies don’t list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.
- Claim Free – Claim-free drivers pay less compared to bad drivers.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Saturn can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off for SC1 coverage with certain companies.
- 55 and Retired – Older drivers can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10% for SC1 coverage.
Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To see a list of companies with the best auto insurance discounts, click here.
Your insurance agent down the street
Certain consumers would prefer to buy from a local agent. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is you may find the lowest rates but also keep your business local.
After filling out this short form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to insurance agents who will battle to get your business. There is no need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy! You can find better rates AND an agent nearby.
Deciding on an provider shouldn’t rely on just a low price. These are valid questions to ask:
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
Captive and independent car insurance agents
When looking for a good insurance agency, there are two types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive).
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents work for only one company and examples are AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. Captives cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agencies are well schooled on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from several independent insurance agents for the best price selection.
To view a full list of insurance agencies, visit this page.
After receiving answers to your satisfaction for all questions you ask and a low price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that can adequately provide auto insurance.
In the end, you save
Affordable Saturn SC1 insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to regret that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
