Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Medford Auto Insurance

Nobody looks forward to buying auto insurance, in particular when the cost is too high.

You have so many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Choosing the best insurance company for you in Medford is not that difficult. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. Although Oklahoma drivers do need to know how companies price online insurance.

Tips to Get Lower Medford Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

Listed below are some of the items used by your company to calculate premiums.

Extra coverages can waste money - There are many additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Traffic violations increase rates - Only having one ticket can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than bad drivers. Drivers with serious tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
Multi-policy discounts can save money - Most companies will award you with lower prices to customers who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money.
Battle of the sexes - Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. They both cause accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies don't always advertise all available discounts very clearly, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings.

Defensive Driver - Taking part in a course in driver safety can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
Early Signing - Some companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Save over 55 - If you're over the age of 55, you may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
Claim Free - Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared with accident-prone drivers.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won't be that lucky.

To choose insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Oklahoma, follow this link.

The auto insurance bait and switch

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the companies say the same thing about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make almost identical claims? It's all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. A driver who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when switching.

Consumers who don't measure up to these standards must pay higher rates which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings. This illustrates why you should compare many company's rates. It is impossible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When buying coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a one size fits all plan. Every situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether or not you would benefit from an agent's advice.

Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Oklahoma?
Should I buy additional glass protection?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Additional Oklahoma consumer information

Even more information can be read at the Oklahoma Insurance Department website. Oklahoma consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.

Shop smart and save

The cheapest auto insurance can be found online as well as from independent agents in Medford, so you should compare both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we presented many ways to save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the most savings is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as .

When buying insurance coverage, it's very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.