Tightwads Tips for Saving on Davidson Car Insurance

No one in their right mind looks forward to buying car insurance, especially when the cost is way too high.

You have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to shop coverage around occasionally since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best price last year you can probably find a better price now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

Tips to Get Lower Davidson Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

  • Big city or small town - Living in a rural area can be a good thing when it comes to car insurance. Urban drivers regularly have much more traffic and longer commute times. Fewer people means a lower chance of having an accident.
  • High credit ratings translate to low rates - Credit score is a big factor in determining your rates. So if your credit rating is lower than you'd like, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
  • Tickets mean higher rates - Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than bad drivers. Even a single moving violation can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations like DUI or reckless driving may need to file a SR-22 with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
  • With age comes lower rates - Young drivers in North Carolina are statistically proven to be more careless behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. If you've ever had to add a youthful 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.

North Carolina car insurance quotes

Save big with these discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you complete an application, but a few need to be asked for before they will apply.

  • Bundle and Save - If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
  • Anti-lock Brakes - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Good Student - This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
  • College Student - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Lower Rates for Military - Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower rates.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don't apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in North Carolina, click here.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could be a mature driver, owns a home, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and most likely will save when switching.

Consumers who fall outside these standards will have to pay higher rates and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully claim big savings.

Because of the profiling, you should get a wide range of price quotes. It's just too difficult to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a "perfect" insurance plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else's and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions might point out if your situation would benefit from professional advice.

  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
  • Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
  • Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in North Carolina?
  • What are North Carolina no-fault laws?
  • Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
  • Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
  • Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?

If you can't answer these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

For more North Carolina car insurance information

Additional information can be found on the website for the North Carolina Department of Insurance found here. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, file complaints about a company, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Davidson car insurance quote

Shop smart and save

When trying to cut insurance costs, it's very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, an insured cut physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price.

You just learned a lot of ways to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a small mutual company. Some small companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .

Cheap car insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Davidson, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies don't offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.