How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Car Insurance in Middletown

Are you tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as most other car owners in Missouri.

Online insurance companies like GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with advertising and it is difficult to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to take a look at other company's rates before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best rates a few years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. You'll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about car insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

These discounts can lower your rates

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some discounts apply automatically when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

Save with a New Car - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Employee of Federal Government - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
Passive Restraints - Factory air bags can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
College Student - Children living away from home attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
No Accidents - Claim-free drivers pay less as compared to bad drivers.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like you could get a free car insurance policy, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will reduce the cost of coverage.

To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Middletown, follow this link.

Comparison of Car Insurance in Middletown

Most companies provide coverage prices directly from their websites. Obtaining pricing is pretty painless as you just type in as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain credit information and your driving record and provides a quote. Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the work required to visit multiple sites and type in the same information can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it's very important to do this if you want to find better car insurance pricing.

Quote rates the easy way

The preferred way to lower your car insurance bill makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes comparison shopping much easier. As soon as you send your information, it gets priced and you can choose your choice of the price quotes you receive.

If you find a better price you can simply submit the application and purchase the new policy. The whole process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you'll know if lower rates are available.

In order to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend that you enter the limits and deductibles identical to your current policy. This makes sure you are getting a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Middletown Rates are Influenced by These Factors

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

Where do you drive? - The more miles you rack up on your car every year the more you will pay for car insurance. Most insurance companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that are left in the garage get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Verify your car insurance policy is rated on how each vehicle is driven.
Small claims can cost you - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance companies in Missouri provide cheaper rates to insureds who are claim-free. Car insurance is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Credit scores impact car insurance rates - Credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. If your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could pay less to insure your by improving your credit score. Drivers who have good credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have poor credit.
Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? 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 occupations such as farmers, historians and homemakers receive lower rates.
Mature drivers pay less - Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be more careless in a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Are you male or female? - The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Men and women are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage. They also get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
Special features that cut premiums - Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder your car from being stolen.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - Your driving citation history has a huge affect on how much you pay. Careful drivers get better rates than bad drivers. Just one moving violation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Drivers who have serious citations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you switch to their company. How can each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies can use profiling for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be over the age of 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who are not a match for the requirements will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Shop smart and save

When shopping online for car insurance, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an accident victim reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price.

We just presented a lot of tips how to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as .

Additional information can be read on the website for the Missouri Department of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, download brochures, find out industry alerts, and read industry bulletins.