How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Auto Insurance in Mahnomen

Are you tired of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Minnesota consumers.

You have so many to pick from, and although it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Tips to Get Lower Mahnomen Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder auto theft.
Rural vs Urban Areas - Being located in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when talking about auto insurance. Urban drivers regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate.
Rate your vehicle for proper use - Driving more miles every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Cars used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates compared to those used for work or business. Double check that your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage.
Having a spouse can save you money - Getting married can get you a discount on auto insurance. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Liability insurance protects assets - Liability coverage will protect you if you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Low deductibles can be expensive - The deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, or theft. The more expense you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.

Fast and Easy Mahnomen Auto Insurance Quotes

The are a couple different ways of comparing rates and find the best price. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates involves getting comparison quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

The fastest way to find low rates is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating multiple quote forms for each company you want a rate for. Taking the time to complete one form gets rate comparisons from multiple low-cost companies.
A slightly less efficient method to shop for auto insurance online is spending the time to visit the website for every company you want to comare to complete a price quote. For examples sake, let's say you want rates from , and . To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular.

For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Mahnomen, click here.

Whichever method you choose, double check that you are using identical information with each company. If you use higher or lower deductibles it's not possible to make an equal comparison in Mahnomen. Slightly different limits may result in large price differences. It's important to know that comparing more company's prices helps you find the best price.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Car insurance companies do not list all available discounts very clearly, so the following is a list of both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Fewer annual miles could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
Payment Method - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
Life Insurance Discount - Some companies give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
Paperless Signup - A few companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application over the internet.
Organization Discounts - Being a member of a qualifying organization may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.

It's important to note that some credits don't apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you're out of luck.

To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Minnesota, click here.

Save $429 a year? Really?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream television and radio advertisements. All the companies have a common claim that you can save after switching your coverage to them. How does each company claim to save you money?

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer might be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. A customer getting a price quote that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for these standards must pay more money and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why you need to compare as many rates as you can. It's impossible to know the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Additional detailed information can be read at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Visitors are able to find disaster information, view a list of available companies, view agent and company licensing information, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Other informative sites include this page for auto insurance prices in Minnesota and this page of Mahnomen insurance agents.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased both online as well as from independent agents in Mahnomen, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.