Compare Orlando Car Insurance Prices With These Tips

Are you overwhelmed by the dozens of car insurance options in Orlando? Lot's of other consumers are too. Consumers have so many options that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find better rates.

The purpose of this article is to tell you the best way to quote coverages and some tricks to saving. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Florida drivers only need an understanding of the most efficient way to compare company rates online.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied at quote time, but a few must be specifically requested in order for you to get them. If you're not getting every credit possible, you're paying more than you need to.

Memberships - Belonging to a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying car insurance.
Defensive Driver - Taking a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Discount for Good Grades - A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
New Car Discount - Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Homeowners Discount - Owning a home in Orlando can help you save on car insurance because owning a home shows financial diligence.
Student in College - Kids in college who are attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.

It's important to understand that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Florida, click here to view.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Orlando

There are several ways to compare car insurance prices and some are less time-consuming than others. You can waste a lot of time discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in Orlando, or you can stay home and use the internet to quickly compare rates.

Many insurance companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and every company returns a rated price. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests to each individual car insurance company. To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The single downside to using this type of form is you can't choose which carriers you want pricing from. So if you want to select individual companies to compare prices, we have a listing of the cheapest car insurance companies in Florida. Click here for list of insurance companies in Florida.

It's up to you which method you use, but compare identical coverages and limits for every company. If you are comparing different deductibles it will be very difficult to decipher which rate is best in Orlando.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better car insurance rates.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces used by your company to calculate premiums.

Protect yourself with liability coverage - Liability insurance provides coverage if you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
Extra add-on coverages are wasting money - There are many extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
How's your driving record? - Whether or not you get tickets has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Even one citation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers with serious tickets like DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Mature drivers pay less - Young drivers in Florida are statistically proven to get distracted easily when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
Adjust deductibles and save - Deductibles for physical damage represent how much money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. The more you have to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
Pay less if you're married - Having a wife or husband can actually save you money on your policy. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can thwart car theft.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers can't get away from ads that promise big savings from the likes of Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer could be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A customer who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to these standards must pay more money and ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can confidently make those claims.

This illustrates why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. Because you never know which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

In the end, you save

Low-cost car insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Orlando, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies don't offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just showed you some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a smaller regional carrier.

While you're price shopping online, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage and learned later they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional car insurance information is located on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. Click here for link. Consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, discover disciplinary actions, and file complaints about a company.