How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Effingham

Paying for high-priced auto insurance can drain your savings account and force you to make sacrifices. Comparison shopping is a great way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.

Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with ads and it is difficult to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

Tips to Get Lower Effingham Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

Policy add-ons can waste money - There are quite a few add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren't careful. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are some examples. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Men are more aggressive - Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men have accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI.
Safer occupants lowers premiums - Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders.
An active claims history can cost you - Auto insurance companies in Kansas generally give cheaper rates to insureds who do not file claims often. If you file claims often, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.
Your stress level may be raising your rates - Occupations such as real estate brokers, social workers and dentists have the highest average rates in part from high stress levels and lengthy work days. Other occupations like pilots, historians and retirees get better rates.

Low Cost Effingham Auto Insurance

Performing a rate comparison can be exhausting if you don't understand the most efficient way. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with insurance agencies in Effingham, or you can stay home and use the internet to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and each company provides a quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to getting quotes like this is buyers cannot specifically choose which providers to get pricing from. So if you want to choose specific providers to request quotes from, we put together a list of the cheapest auto insurance companies in Kansas. Click here to view list.

However you get your quotes, make darn sure you compare exactly the same coverage limits for every quote you compare. If your comparisons have differing limits you will not be able to determine the best price in Effingham. Slightly different coverages may result in large price differences. And when comparison shopping, comparing more company's prices will increase your chances of finding better pricing.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of purchase, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested prior to receiving the credit.

Safety Course Discount - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
Senior Discount - If you're over the age of 55, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
Drivers Ed for Students - Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver's education if offered at their school.
Claim Free - Drivers who don't have accidents pay less when compared with accident-prone drivers.
Pay Now and Pay Less - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To choose insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Effingham, click here.

Is there truth in advertising?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you change your coverage to them. How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't measure up to the requirements must pay higher prices and this can result in business not being written. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. This is how companies can truthfully make those claims.

This illustrates why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Every insured's situation is different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions may help you determine whether or not you will benefit from professional help.

Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Should I buy additional glass protection?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
What are Kansas no-fault laws?

If you can't answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Additional information can be read on the website for the Kansas Insurance Department. Click here for link. Kansas drivers can discover disciplinary actions, learn about insurance regulations, find disaster information, and download brochures.

Do the work, save more money

Cheaper auto insurance is attainable on the web as well as from independent agents in Effingham, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you're price shopping online, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.