Tightwads Tips for Saving on Bigfork Auto Insurance

Have you had enough of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Montana drivers. Drivers have so many to pick from, and although it's a good thing to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

This article will instruct you on how to effectively get price quotes and some tips to save money. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. Montana vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to compare company rates on the web.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help bring down the price. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but a few need to be asked for before you get the savings. If you're not getting every credit available, you are throwing money away.

  • Clubs and Organizations - Being a member of a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break when buying auto insurance.
  • Drivers Education - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver's education if offered at their school.
  • Safety Course Discount - Completing a defensive driving course could save 5% or more if you qualify.
  • Discount for Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
  • Paperless Signup - Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
  • Multiple Cars - Buying insurance for all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
  • Senior Citizens - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
  • Lower Rates for Military - Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
  • Claim Free - Claim-free drivers can save substantially when compared with drivers who are more careless.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate premiums.

  • Liability coverage is peace of mind - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you if you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides for a legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder your car from being stolen.
  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying when buying auto insurance. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea at first, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
  • The more you drive the more you pay - The higher the mileage driven every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your auto insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
  • Your spouse saves you money - Having a spouse helps lower the price when buying auto insurance. Having a spouse translates into being more mature than a single person and it's statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Low deductibles can be expensive - Your deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, insures against damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, damage from fire, or theft. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Men are more aggressive - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers in Montana get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies say the same thing that you'll save big if you change your coverage to them.

How does each company claim to save you money?

All companies can use profiling for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Drivers who don't measure up to these standards must pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is "people who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's why companies can advertise the savings.

This illustrates why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Much more information about auto insurance in Montana can be found on the website for the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance through this link. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, view a list of available companies, discover disciplinary actions, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Also read more on this link for Montana auto insurance quotes and this link which helps you find a Bigfork agent.

compare Bigfork auto insurance rates

A tidy conclusion

Discount auto insurance is attainable both online as well as from independent agents in Bigfork, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don't skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.