Tightwads Tips for Saving on Doniphan Auto Insurance

Nobody looks forward to buying auto insurance, especially knowing they are paying too much.

You have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have a selection, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

More discounts equal less premium

Auto insurance companies don't necessarily list all available discounts very clearly, so we researched some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.

  • Safety Course Discount - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Good Student - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
  • Multiple Cars - Having all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • Senior Discount - Mature drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.
  • No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents pay much less when compared with bad drivers.

Keep in mind that some credits don't apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn't work that way.

To see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Nebraska, click here.

auto insurance in Doniphan

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Most companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm allow you to get coverage price quotes online. Getting online quotes doesn't take a lot of time as you just enter your personal and coverage information into the quote form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain your credit score and driving record and returns a price quote based on many factors. Being able to quote online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the process of having to visit multiple sites and complete many quote forms gets old quite quickly. Unfortunately, it is important to get many rate quotes in order to find a lower rate.

There is a better way!

The preferred way to compare rates requires only one form that gets prices from multiple companies. It's a real time-saver, reduces the work, and makes online price comparison much more enjoyable. As soon as the form is sent, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the price quotes you receive. If you find a better price you can click and sign and purchase coverage. The entire process can be completed in a matter of minutes and may save quite a bit of money.

To quickly find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you input the coverages as shown on your current policy. This makes sure you're receiving a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

  • Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are quite a few additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren't careful. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and membership fees are some examples. These coverages may sound good initially, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
  • A clean driving record saves money - Only having one citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • What are your deductibles? - The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the lower your rates will be.
  • Males pay more for insurance - Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men cause accidents in similar numbers, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI.

It's not one size fits all

When choosing the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a single plan that fits everyone. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight if you might need professional guidance.

  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
  • Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
  • Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?

If you can't answer these questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Switch companies and save? Really?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads in print and on television. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you change your policy. How does each company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match these standards must pay higher prices and this can result in business not being written. The ads state "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It's not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Affordable auto insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many Doniphan insurance agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the best prices are with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as .

When buying insurance coverage, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped collision coverage and learned later that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Nebraska auto insurance

Additional Nebraska consumer information

Additional detailed information is located at the Nebraska Department of Insurance website. Nebraska drivers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, report car insurance fraud, and learn about insurance regulations.