Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Advance Auto Insurance

Are you tired of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than millions of other consumers.

There are many to pick from, and although it's nice to have multiple companies, it makes it harder to compare rates.

Finding affordable coverage in Advance is quite easy. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. Nevertheless, North Carolina vehicle owners do need to know the methods companies use to sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't always advertise all available discounts very clearly, so we break down some of the best known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Military Rewards - Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
Good Students Pay Less - Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply until age 25.
New Vehicle Savings - Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
Employee of Federal Government - Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a home in Advance can help you save on auto insurance because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don't profit that way.

What determines how much you pay?

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that go into determining auto insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" companies use to determine premiums.

Safer occupants lowers premiums - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. Safe vehicles result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
A clean driving record saves money - Whether or not you get tickets has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Only having one moving violation can increase rates by twenty percent. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Drivers with serious tickets like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
Claim-free discounts can add up - Auto insurance companies in North Carolina award lower rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. If you file claims often, you can expect either higher rates or even cancellation. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Better credit means lower rates - A driver's credit score is a huge factor in your rate calculation. If your credit is lower than you'd like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with poor credit.
Equipment add-ons that lower auto insurance rates - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft features like GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder car theft.
Low deductibles can be expensive - Deductibles for physical damage represent how much money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, covers damage that occurs to your car. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. The higher the amount you're willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as lawyers, business owners and financial analysts tend to pay higher average rates in part from job stress and long work days. Conversely, occupations like farmers, engineers and homemakers have the lowest average rates.

Is there truth in advertising?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings if you switch to them. How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 40, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A propective insured who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential customers who don't measure up to these standards must pay a more expensive rate and ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save money. That's why insurance companies can confidently claim big savings. This illustrates why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

More North Carolina auto insurance information

More tips and info about auto insurance can be found at the North Carolina Department of Insurance website. North Carolina drivers can find disaster information, file complaints about a company, download brochures, and find out industry alerts.

Also read more on this page for auto insurance prices in North Carolina and this page of Advance insurance agents.

Affordable insurance is out there

Cost effective auto insurance is available on the web and with local Advance insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. A few companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented many tips how you can reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like .