6 Tricks Guaranteed to Lower Car Insurance Costs in Elk River

Consumers who are new to the process of buying insurance online could find buying cut-rate Elk River car insurance to be a formidable task.

How much can you save with these six discounts?

Companies don't always list all available discounts very well, so we took the time to find some of the more common as well as the least known car insurance savings.

  • Defensive Driving Course - Completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of 20% or more.
  • Federal Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
  • Anti-lock Brake Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
  • 55 and Retired - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for better car insurance rates.
  • Discount for Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

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

car insurance in Elk River

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Shopping for lower car insurance rates can take hours if you aren't aware of the best way to get rate quotes. You can waste a lot of time talking to insurance agencies in Elk River, or you could save time and use the web to get the quickest rates.

Many insurance companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and each company provides a quote. This eliminates the need for quote forms for each company you want a rate for.

To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The one downside to pricing coverage this way is buyers cannot specifically choose which carriers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose specific providers to request quotes from, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Minnesota. View list of Minnesota insurance companies.

Which method you use is up to you, but be sure to compare apples-to-apples coverages with every price quote. If you compare different limits and deductibles on each one it will be impossible to find the best deal in Elk River. Just a small difference in coverages may cause a big price difference. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes provides better odds of finding lower pricing.

How much car insurance do I need?

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's needs are different.

For example, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.

  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
  • Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
  • Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
  • Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Minnesota?
  • Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the companies say the same thing about savings if you move to their company. But how can every company make the same claim?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a profitable customer could be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don't meet this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings. This illustrates why drivers must compare many company's rates. It's just too difficult to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Cheap car insurance is definitely available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Elk River agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just learned a lot of information how to compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small local company.

Consumers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as questionable increases in premium, poor customer service, extreme rates for teen drivers or policy cancellation. It doesn't matter what your reason, choosing a new insurance company is actually quite simple.

Minnesota car insurance

Even more information can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, find out industry alerts, and download brochures.

Additional helpful sites include this resource for Minnesota car insurance prices and this link which helps you find a Elk River agent.