Clayton Car Insurance For Less Than You're Paying Now

Cutting costs on Clayton car insurance is difficult for people who are new to shopping for insurance online. People have so many choices that it can turn into a ton of work to find the best price in Clayton.

It's important to compare prices before your policy renews since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best deal a year ago you may be paying too much now. Starting right now, forget all the misinformation about car insurance because we're going to show you the proper way to find lower rates on car insurance.

If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. The purpose of this post is to let you in on how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. Missouri drivers only need an understanding of the most efficient way to compare prices online.

Cheap Clayton Car Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways you can shop for car insurance but some are easier and takes less work. You could spend your day driving to insurance companies in Clayton, or you could use the internet to get pricing more quickly.

All the larger companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to complete one form, and each company then gives them pricing for coverage. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The only downside to getting quotes like this is you can't choose which companies you want pricing from. So if you prefer to pick specific insurance companies to compare prices, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in Missouri. Click here for list of insurance companies in Missouri.

Whichever way you use, ensure you're using the exact same coverages and limits for every quote you compare. If you use different deductibles you can't possibly determine the best price in Clayton.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

It's important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Listed below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate rates.

Bump up deductibles to save - Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be collision with another vehicle, vandalism, or theft. Your deductibles are how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The more money you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
More claims means more premium - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Car insurance companies in Missouri provide better rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Poor driving leads to higher costs - Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than bad drivers. Just one citation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who have serious citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are many extra bells and whistles that you can buy when buying car insurance. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem good initially, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Please use or commuting - The more miles you rack up on your car every year the more you will pay for car insurance. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles not used for work or commuting can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your car insurance policy is showing how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. If your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could be paying less to insure your by repairing your credit. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than drivers with poor credit.
How many coverages with the same company - Most companies will give a discount to insureds who have multiple policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can be anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. If you currently are using one company, it's still a good idea to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
Are you male or female? - The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. They both have accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.

How much can you save with discounts?

Car insurance companies don't necessarily list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both the well known and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If they aren't giving you every credit available, you're just leaving money on the table.

Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Clayton may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
Employee of Federal Government - Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with select insurance companies.
Passive Restraints - Factory air bags can get savings of up to 25% or more.
Defensive Driver - Taking part in a defensive driving course could save 5% or more depending on where you live.
Discount for Life Insurance - Larger companies have lower rates if you buy auto and life insurance together.
Multi-car Discount - Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.

It's important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn't quite work that way.

For a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Clayton, follow this link.

More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, download brochures, and file complaints about a company.

Best coverage at the best price

Low-cost car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in Clayton, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies don't offer online quoting and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

Consumers switch companies for a variety of reasons including an unsatisfactory settlement offer, extreme rates for teen drivers, poor customer service and delays in responding to claim requests. It doesn't matter what your reason, finding a new car insurance company is not as hard as you think.

We just covered many ways to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the lowest rates come from a small mutual company.