Top Ways to Save on Arden Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced auto insurance? Trust us when we tell you you're not the only one.

You have so many to pick from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to price shop coverage every six months since insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best rates a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Don't believe everything you read about auto insurance online but I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

This article will help educate you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some tricks to saving. If you have car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. But North Carolina vehicle owners do need to know how companies sell online.

These discounts can lower your rates

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested before you get the savings.

Senior Discount - Mature drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.
Memberships - Affiliation with a qualifying organization could trigger savings on auto insurance.
Multiple Cars - Buying coverage for all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
New Vehicle Savings - Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Drivers Education - Have your child complete a driver education course if offered at their school.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
Sign Online - Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
Passive Restraints - Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less as compared to bad drivers.
Homeowners Discount - Owning a house in Arden may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.

Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.

To see a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in North Carolina, click this link.

Comprehensive Arden Auto Insurance Comparison

Most companies like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm give coverage price quotes online. Getting online quotes doesn't take a lot of time as you just type in the coverages you want as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain credit information and your driving record and returns pricing information. This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it's very important to do this in order to get better auto insurance pricing.

The preferred way to lower your rates requires only one form that gets price quotes from a lot of companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes online shopping much more efficient. After your information is entered, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the price quotes you receive.

If you find a better price you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you input the limits and deductibles just like they are on your policy. This makes sure you will be getting a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are some of the items that factor into rates.

Mature drivers pay less - Teenage drivers in North Carolina have a tendency to be more careless when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Your policy's liability coverage provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Do you know your deductibles? - Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are collision with another vehicle, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The more expense the insured has to pay upfront, the less your auto insurance will be.
Where do you drive? - The higher the mileage driven in a year the more you will pay for auto insurance. The majority of insurers price each vehicle's coverage based on how the vehicle is used. Autos left parked in the garage get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Make sure your auto insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - Car insurance companies in North Carolina give lower rates to people who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Auto insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads on television and other media. They all seem to make the same claim that you'll save big if you change your policy. How does each company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between 25 and 40, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. A propective insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Drivers who are not a match for these standards will have to pay a higher premium which leads to business not being written. The ad wording is "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way companies can make those claims.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

While you're price shopping online, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price.

Budget-conscious auto insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many Arden insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. Some companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

Learn more about North Carolina auto insurance

Much more information about auto insurance in North Carolina can be read on the website for the North Carolina Department of Insurance found here. North Carolina drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out which companies have the most complaints, report car insurance fraud, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Additional helpful sites include this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of insurance agents in Arden.