How to Know You're Paying Too Much for Auto Insurance in Baker City

I can't think of a single person who looks forward to paying for auto insurance, especially knowing their premiums are too high. Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with advertising and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

  • Do you need those extra coverages? - There are a ton of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren't careful. Insurance for personal injury protection, accidental death and motor club memberships are some examples. These may sound like a good investment at first, but if you don't need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
  • Traffic citations inflate rates - Only having one citation can increase rates twenty percent or more. Good drivers receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
  • More miles equals more premium - Driving more miles each year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars left parked in the garage receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Make sure your auto insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • An active claims history can cost you - Auto insurance companies in Oregon generally give cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for larger claims.

auto insurance in Baker City

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Effectively comparing auto insurance prices can be a lot of work if you don't understand the easiest way. You can spend your afternoon discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Baker City, or you can utilize online quoting to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Most of the larger companies participate in an industry program that enables customers to submit their information once, and every company provides a quote. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company.

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

One minor caviat to using this type of form is buyers cannot specifically choose which providers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose specific providers to request quotes from, we put together a list of low cost auto insurance companies in Oregon. Click to view list.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to compare exactly the same information with each company. If you compare higher or lower deductibles it will be next to impossible to make an equal comparison in Baker City.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be manually applied before you will receive the discount. If you aren't receiving every discount you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Driver Safety - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
  • Good Student - This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
  • New Vehicle Savings - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
  • Drivers Ed for Students - Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver's education if it's offered in school.
  • Military Rewards - Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Early Switch Discount - A few companies offer discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiration. It's a savings of about 10%.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will reduce your premiums.

To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Baker City, click here.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Oregon drivers can't ignore all the ads for cheaper car insurance by companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies have a common claim about savings after switching to them.

How can each company say the same thing?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of driver that makes them money. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has a short commute. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to the requirements must pay more money and this can result in business not being written. The ads say "people who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save money. That is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When buying the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Each situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether or not you will benefit from professional help.

  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Should I buy only the required Oregon minimum liability coverage?
  • Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
  • Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
  • Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?

If you can't answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Additional information is located on the website for the Oregon Insurance Division through this link. Oregon drivers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and download brochures.

Oregon auto insurance

Best coverage at the best price

Cheaper auto insurance can be purchased on the web and with local Baker City insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we covered a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a company that doesn't do a lot of advertising. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as .

As you shop your coverage around, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped liability coverage limits only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.