Easy Methods to Pay Less on Roodhouse Auto Insurance

Are you overwhelmed by the dozens of auto insurance companies in Roodhouse? Lot's of other consumers are too. People have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a big hassle to find the best price.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

  • Do you have enough liability coverage? - The liability section of your policy provides coverage if a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability insurance provides legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
  • Safer cars are cheaper to insure - Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Safe vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
  • An active claims history can cost you - Auto insurance companies in Illinois generally give lower rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
  • Proper usage rating affects rates - The more you drive in a year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers price each vehicle's coverage based on their usage. Cars left parked in the garage receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Make sure your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Car features impact rates - Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart auto theft.
  • Traffic citations inflate rates - Whether or not you get tickets has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Only having one citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers with severe tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Adjust deductibles and save - The deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are colliding with a building, vandalism, and rolling your vehicle. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the less your auto insurance will be.

How to Compare Roodhouse Auto Insurance Costs

Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can be a lot of work if you don't understand the easiest way. You can spend your afternoon discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Roodhouse, or you could save time and use online quoting to get prices fast.

Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit one quote, and at least one company returns a rated price based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

The single downside to using this type of system is you are unable to specify which providers you want pricing from. So if you want to select specific providers to compare, we have assembled a list of auto insurance companies in Illinois. View list of Illinois insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, compare identical coverages on every quote. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one it's impossible to make a fair comparison in Roodhouse.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you complete an application, but a few must be manually applied before they will apply. If you're not getting every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Organization Discounts - Affiliation with a qualifying organization may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
  • Military Discounts - Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
  • Federal Government Employee - Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
  • New Vehicle Savings - Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
  • Drivers Education - Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver's education in high school.

Keep in mind that some credits don't apply the the whole policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn't work that way. But any discount will bring down your premiums.

To choose insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Illinois, click here.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Illinois drivers can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you move your policy.

How does each company say the same thing?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that makes them money. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as a mature driver, has no tickets, and has a short commute. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get very good rates and therefore will save when switching.

Consumers who don't measure up to these standards must pay higher rates and this can result in business not being written. The ads say "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why you need to get as many quotes as possible. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

More information is located on the Illinois Department of Insurance website located here. Illinois drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, find disaster information, and download brochures.

Other informative sites include this link for Illinois auto insurance quotes and this link which helps you find a Roodhouse agent.

auto insurance in Roodhouse

A tidy conclusion

Affordable auto insurance is definitely available on the web in addition to many Roodhouse insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as questionable increases in premium, delays in responding to claim requests, high rates after DUI convictions or even delays in paying claims. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is easier than you think.

As you shop your coverage around, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.