Tightwads Tips for Saving on Mercer Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced auto insurance? Believe me, you're not alone.

Consumers have many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have a selection, it can be more difficult to compare rates.

Take advantage of discounts

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but a few must be manually applied before you get the savings.

Drivers Education - Have your child successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
Low Mileage Discounts - Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Multiple Cars - Insuring all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Senior Discount - Mature drivers may receive better auto insurance rates.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
Discount for Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Wisconsin, follow this link.

Comprehensive Mercer Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes

There are several ways of comparing rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. The best method to find the cheapest insurance rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

The best way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This method prevents you from having to do repetitive form entry for each company you want a rate for. Completing one form gets you price quotes direct from many companies.
A less efficient way to compare rate quotes requires a trip to the website of each company to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, we'll pretend you want to compare rates from , and . To get each rate you have to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker. To view a list of companies in Mercer, click here.

Whichever way you use, compare identical quote information on every quote you get. If you compare mixed coverages you can't possibly determine which rate is truly the best in Mercer. Just a small difference in coverages may result in a large different in cost. Just keep in mind that getting more free quotes helps locate a better price.

You have some control over your rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting prices.

Lower rates with optional equipment - Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart your car from being stolen.
High crash test scores lower rates - Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
Adjust deductibles and save - Your deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your auto insurance will be.
Males pay more for insurance - Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean men are worse drivers. Both sexes tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI.
Please use or commuting - The higher the mileage driven in a year the higher your rate. Most insurance companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates than those used for commuting. Double check that your auto insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are quite a few extra coverages that can waste your money if you aren't careful. Coverages for roadside assistance, accident forgiveness and term life insurance are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if they're wasting money eliminate them to save money.
Discounts for multiple policies - Some companies provide better rates to people who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to compare rates to ensure the best deal. Drivers may still find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

Auto insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO consistently run ads on TV and radio. They all say the same thing about savings if you change to their company. How does each company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and has a short commute. A propective insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and most likely will save when switching.

Drivers who don't qualify for these standards will be quoted a higher premium which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say "customers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. That's the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Final considerations

Cheaper auto insurance can be sourced on the web and also from your neighborhood Mercer agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers may not provide the ability to get a quote online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

As you shop your coverage around, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where an insured dropped collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

Find out more about auto insurance

Additional information is located on the website for the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance found here. Wisconsin drivers can view a list of available companies, find disaster information, report car insurance fraud, and learn about insurance regulations.