Tightwads Tips for Saving on Greenville Auto Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to cut your insurance bill. Drivers have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

Finding affordable coverage in Greenville is easy if you know what you're doing. If you are insured now or need a new policy, you can learn to find the best rates and possibly find even better coverage. Missouri vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to compare rates online.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies don't list all available discounts very clearly, so here is a list both well-publicized and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you are throwing money away.

Defensive Driving Course - Taking a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
Discount for New Cars - Adding a new car to your policy is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Government Employees - Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
Save over 55 - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Clubs and Organizations - Participating in a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break when buying auto insurance.
More Vehicles More Savings - Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a deployed family member can result in better rates.
Anti-theft System - Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don't profit that way.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are a lot of add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Please use or commuting - The more you drive in a year's time the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies apply a rate based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles that are left in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Occupations such as doctors, architects and financial analysts have higher average rates due to stressful work requirements and long work hours. Conversely, occupations like pilots, engineers and the unemployed get better rates.
Older drivers pay less - Teen drivers in Missouri tend to get distracted easily when driving so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Having to add a young driver onto a policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
Liability coverage is peace of mind - The liability section of your policy is the protection if a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense coverage up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.

Insurance agents can help

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn't really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else's and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. For example, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
Are rental cars covered under my policy?
Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
Should I buy additional glass protection?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don't have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It's fast, doesn't cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Missouri consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings from the likes of 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies say the same thing that you'll save big if you move your coverage to them.

How does each company make almost identical claims? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be a mature driver, has no prior claims, and has a high credit rating. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for these standards must pay more money which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. This is how companies can state the savings. This illustrates why drivers should compare many company's rates. It's impossible to know which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

More detailed Missouri auto insurance information is available at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Missouri consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read industry bulletins, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

A tidy conclusion

Discount auto insurance is definitely available online as well as from independent agents in Greenville, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.