Compare Rockford Car Insurance Prices With These Methods

Are you intimidated by the crazy number of car insurance options in Rockford? You're not the only one! Consumers have so many choices that it can turn into a challenge to find the best price.

It's important to compare prices every six months because rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best price two years ago you can probably find a better price now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you're about to find out the only way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" car insurance companies consider when setting rates.

Being married is a good thing - Having a spouse can actually save you money on car insurance. It means you're more responsible and it's proven that being married results in fewer claims.
Do you know your deductibles? - Insurance for physical damage to your car, 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 a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, or theft. The deductibles are how much you are willing to pay before your car insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your car insurance will be.
Multi-policy discounts can save money - Most insurance companies will give a discount to policyholders who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to 10 percent or more. Even if you're getting this discount you still need to comparison shop to ensure the best deal. You may still be able to find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
Small claims can cost you - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Car insurance companies in Washington generally give cheaper rates to insureds who are claim-free. Car insurance is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
How's your driving record? - Your driving citation history has a huge affect on how much you pay. Careful drivers have lower premiums than bad drivers. Even a single moving violation can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Battle of the sexes - Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Men and women have accidents in similar percentages, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.

How much can you save with discounts?

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you can get discounts that many people don't even know exist. Most are applied at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount. If you aren't receiving every discount possible, you are paying more than you should be.

Sign Online - Some insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy digitally online.
Multi-car Discount - Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Bundle and Save - If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.
Federal Government Employee - Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
Discount for Good Grades - This discount can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
No Charge for an Accident - A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims for a certain period of time.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To choose companies offering car insurance discounts in Rockford, click here.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Consumers can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you switch to their company.

How can each company make the same claim?

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, has no driving citations, and chooses high deductibles. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who don't meet the requirements will have to pay more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That's the way companies can truthfully state the savings.

Because of the profiling, you should compare as many rates as you can. Because you never know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Additional information can be found on the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website located here. Consumers can get help finding coverage, report car insurance fraud, and read consumer alerts.

In the end, you save

Cheaper car insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Rockford agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

When buying insurance coverage, it's a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to discover later that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.

We just showed you a lot of techniques to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company.