9 Discounts Ralston Shoppers Forget when Shopping for Car Insurance

I can't think of anyone who looks forward to paying for car insurance, particularly when the cost is way too high.

Big companies like GEICO and Progressive continually hit you with advertising and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

It's important to take a look at other company's rates periodically since rates are constantly changing. If you had the best price a few years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you're about to find out one of the easiest ways to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

If you have car insurance now, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. Buying car insurance in Ralston is quite easy. Nevertheless, Oklahoma consumers do need to know how companies determine prices and apply this information to your search.

Take advantage of discounts

Companies don't list all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find both the well known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving.

Bundle and Save - When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
Drivers Ed for Students - Have your child complete a driver education course in high school.
Federal Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with select insurance companies.
Life Insurance Discount - Larger companies have better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for better car insurance rates.
Pay Upfront and Save - By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
More Vehicles More Savings - Insuring multiple cars or trucks on the same car insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
College Student - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home without a vehicle on campus may qualify for this discount.

It's important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, it doesn't quite work that way.

To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Ralston, click here.

Ralston Car Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways to get quotes from different Ralston insurance companies. The best method to find competitive insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way to get quotes for comparison is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for separate quotes for every car insurance company. Just one form will return price quotes instantly.
A more time consuming way to compare rate quotes consists of visiting the website for each individual company and request a quote. For instance, we'll assume you want to compare , and . To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to enter your coverage information, and that's why the first method is more popular.

To view a list of companies in Ralston, click here.
The most time-consuming method of comparing rate quotes is driving around to insurance agents' offices. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a need for the professional guidance of a local Ralston agent. It is possible to obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and we'll cover that in a bit.

However you get your quotes, be sure to compare exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits with every price quote. If you are comparing different values for each quote it will be very difficult to find the best deal in Ralston. Slightly different coverage limits may cause a big price difference. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes will improve the odds of getting better pricing.

How to know if you need help

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a "best" method to buy coverage. Everyone's situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent's advice.

What are the best liability limits?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
Should I buy additional glass protection?

If you can't answer these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive regularly use ads on TV and radio. They all seem to have a common claim of big savings if you move to their company. How can each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any new insured that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't qualify for the requirements will have to pay a more expensive rate and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's just too difficult to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

When shopping online for car insurance, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, someone dropped physical damage coverage only to regret 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 for the lowest price.

We just covered a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like .

More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Oklahoma Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, download brochures, and learn about insurance regulations.