Top Ways to Save on Dallas Car Insurance

No one in their right mind likes having to buy car insurance, particularly when they are paying too much.

Because you have many companies to choose from, it is very difficult to pick the lowest price car insurance company.

It's important to compare prices periodically due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best deal on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. So just forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I'm going to teach you the only way to find lower rates on car insurance.

Buying car insurance in Dallas is quite easy. Basically, everyone who has to buy car insurance should be able to reduce their rates. Nevertheless, Georgia consumers do need to know the way insurance companies determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.

Take advantage of discounts

Car insurance companies don't always list all their discounts very well, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known car insurance savings.

Save with a New Car - Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Passive Restraint Discount - Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a deployed family member can result in better rates.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Memberships - Being a member of a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.

It's important to understand that most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn't quite work that way.

To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Georgia, follow this link.

Dallas Car Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways of comparing rates from different Dallas insurance companies. The best method to find competitive insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This method prevents you from having to do separate quote forms for every car insurance company. Just one form will return price quotes from many national carriers.
A slightly less efficient method to compare rate quotes consists of visiting each company's website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let's say you want to compare , and . To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company's site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular.

To view a list of companies in Dallas, click here.
The least efficient method of comparing rate quotes is driving to insurance agents' offices. Shopping for car insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you require the professional guidance of a local Dallas agent. You can, however, obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and you'll learn how to do that later.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just be sure to compare apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits for each price quote. If each company quotes different values for each quote it's impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Dallas. Just a small difference in coverage limits can result in a big premium difference. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding better pricing.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Georgia tend to be more careless behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Parents adding a young driver onto a policy can break the bank. Older drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit rating is a important factor in determining your rates. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by improving your rating.
Theft deterrents lower rates - Owning a car with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can help prevent your car from being stolen.
More than one policy can earn a discount - The majority of companies will give a discount to insureds who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to compare rates to verify if the discount is saving money.

How to know if you need help

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone's situation is a little different and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

Should I file a claim if it's only slightly more than my deductible?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Georgia?
Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
Am I getting all the discounts available?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Car insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm regularly use ads on TV and radio. They all seem to say the same thing of big savings if you move your coverage to them. But how can every company claim to save you money?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a desirable insured might be a mature driver, a clean driving record, and has great credit. Any driver who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who don't qualify for this ideal profile will have to pay higher premiums which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers must compare as many rates as you can. You cannot predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Affordable insurance is out there

When you buy insurance online, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford.

We just presented a lot of tips how to compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the best price on car insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like .

More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out industry alerts, view a list of available companies, and read consumer alerts.

Additional helpful sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this page where you can research Dallas insurance agents.