Top Ways to Save on Fox Lake Auto Insurance

Paying for high-priced auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings, especially in this economy. Comparison shopping is a great way to help make ends meet.

Multiple compete for your insurance dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare to discover the definitive lowest rate

It's important to compare rates on a regular basis since insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best deal a year ago a different company probably has better rates today. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about auto insurance because it's time to teach you the only way to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies don't list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

College Student - Youth drivers who live away from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Accident Waiver - A few companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up as long as you don't have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Passive Restraint Discount - Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of 20% or more.
Drive Less and Save - Driving fewer miles can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
New Vehicle Savings - Buying coverage on a new vehicle is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won't be that lucky.

You have some control over your rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. Understanding what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings.

Older drivers pay less - More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Teenage drivers are statistically proven to be more careless when driving therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
Are you male or female? - Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. They both are in accidents at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
Traffic citations inflate rates - Just one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers have lower premiums than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. These vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you.
Car features impact rates - Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping auto theft.
Rate your vehicle for proper use - The more miles you rack up on your car in a year's time the more you will pay for auto insurance. Most insurance companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars not used for work or commuting can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your auto insurance policy is showing how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.

How can Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm save drivers who switch?

Auto insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you switch to their company. How do they all say the same thing?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile will have to pay higher rates and this can result in business not being written. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. This is how companies can truthfully make those claims. Because of the profiling, drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

For more Illinois auto insurance information

Even more information is available at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, and find disaster information.

Affordable insurance is out there

While you're price shopping online, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Cheaper auto insurance is available on the web and also from your neighborhood Fox Lake agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

In this article, we covered a lot of ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the least-expected company. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as .