Tightwads Guide to Saving on Portage Car Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can overdraw your checking account, especially in this economy. Doing a price comparison is free and is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill. Because you have many online and local companies to choose from, it's nearly impossible to pick the right car insurance company.

Finding the cheapest coverage in Portage is not that difficult. If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you can follow these tips to find the best rates and still get good coverage. Michigan vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to find the lowest price online.

How to Get Cheap Car Insurance in Portage, MI

Comparing car insurance rates can take time and effort if you aren't aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You can spend countless hours talking to local insurance agents in Portage, or you could use online quoting to get the quickest rates.

The majority of car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to enter their policy data once, and each participating company returns a rated price based on that information. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions to each individual car insurance company. To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The only drawback to comparing rates this way is that consumers can't choose the providers you want pricing from. If you wish to select specific providers to request quotes from, we have a page of companies who write car insurance in Michigan. Click here for list of insurance companies in Michigan.

It's up to you how you get prices quotes, just make sure you use apples-to-apples coverages and limits on every quote you get. If the quotes have different deductibles you can't possibly determine which rate is truly the best in Portage.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you get the savings. If you don't get every credit you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

  • Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • Auto/Home Discount - When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
  • Early Signing - Some companies give discounts for switching to them before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
  • Braking Control Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Defensive Driver - Completing a driver safety course could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Claim Free - Drivers who don't have accidents can save substantially when compared with bad drivers.
  • Student in College - Any of your kids who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car may be able to be covered for less.
  • Auto/Life Discount - Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
  • Memberships - Belonging to a professional or civic organization could trigger savings when buying car insurance.

Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will help reduce your premiums.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Michigan, click this link.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no "perfect" insurance plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else's so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether or not you might need professional guidance.

  • Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
  • What are the best liability limits?
  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
  • Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
  • Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
  • Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
  • Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?

If it's difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.

Much more information about car insurance in Michigan can be found on the website for the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation found here. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about a company, and find out industry alerts.

Additional helpful sites include this page for Michigan car insurance and this page for help finding agents in Portage, MI.