Free Guide to Spending Less for Hope Mills Auto Insurance Online

Are you tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other drivers in North Carolina. Online insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive promote their brand names with advertising and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to compare rates before your policy renews because insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best rates a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of bad advice regarding auto insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to find cheap auto insurance.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies don't always publicize all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings. If you aren't receiving every discount available, you are throwing money away.

Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Hope Mills may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
No Accidents - Claim-free drivers pay less as compared to drivers who are more careless.
Drive Less and Save - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Drivers Ed for Students - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course if offered at their school.
Safety Course Discount - Taking a course in driver safety could save 5% or more if you qualify.
Bundle and Save - If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you will save 10% to 20% off each policy.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

You have some control over your rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

Shown below are some of the items auto insurance companies consider when setting rates.

Bump up deductibles to save - Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply could be collision with another vehicle, collision with an animal, and burglary. Your deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your auto insurance pays a claim. The more expense you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Your stress level may be raising your rates - Jobs such as real estate brokers, architects and dentists tend to have the highest average rates due to high stress levels and long work hours. Other jobs such as farmers, historians and retirees receive lower rates.
Better crash test results mean better rates - Safer cars are cheaper to insure. These vehicles reduce injuries and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Your car's features help determine rates - Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder your car from being stolen.
Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for personal injury protection, towing coverage and term life insurance are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if they're wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Big city or small town - Being located in a small town can be a good thing when insuring your vehicles. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. Drivers who live in large North Carolina cities regularly have much more traffic to deal with and longer commute times. Higher commute times translates into higher accident risk.
How credit affects auto insurance rates - Credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with lower credit ratings. Therefore, if your credit history is low, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score.
Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates - Driving your car without having proper coverage is a misdemeanor and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will insurance be more expensive, failure to provide proof of insurance can result in a steep fine or even jail time.

The auto insurance bait and switch

North Carolina consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you change to their company.

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

Different companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, is a homeowner, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't measure up to the requirements will have to pay higher prices which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, drivers should compare many company's rates. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Even more information can be read at the North Carolina Department of Insurance website. North Carolina consumers can report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, find disaster information, and view a list of available companies.

In the end, you save

Cheap auto insurance is attainable online and also from your neighborhood Hope Mills agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some auto insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it's not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, an accident victim reduced full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price.