Tightwads Guide for Saving on Salina Car Insurance

Are you tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with advertising and it can be hard to sift through the bull and take the time to shop coverage around.

If you have a current car insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to get lower rates while maintaining coverages. Finding the best rates in Salina is easy if you know what you're doing. Kansas vehicle owners just need to know how to buy car insurance over the internet.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in big savings.

The following are some of the factors companies use to determine premiums.

Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Liability coverage will protect you if you are found liable for damages from an accident. Liability provides legal defense coverage which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Men pay higher rates - The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. They both are in accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are several times more likely to be in an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
Teen drivers pay high rates - Mature drivers are more responsible, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers are known to be careless and easily distracted in a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
More miles equals more premium - Driving more miles every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your car insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money.
High crash test scores lower rates - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Occupations such as doctors, executives and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates attributed to stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. Other occupations such as farmers, historians and performers have the lowest average rates.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Salina

All major car insurance companies give prices for coverage on the web. Obtaining pricing is fairly straightforward as you just enter the amount of coverage you want as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, the system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and quotes a price. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit each company's website and repetitively fill out multiple forms is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to compare as many rates as possible in order to get the best price on car insurance.

The preferred way to find cheaper rates makes use of a single form to get prices from several companies at one time. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes rate comparisons a lot less work. After your information is entered, your coverage is rated and you can select your choice of the resulting price quotes. If the quotes result in lower rates, it's easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. This process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will know how your current rates stack up.

In order to find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you copy the limits and deductibles just like they are on your policy. This makes sure you will have comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Car insurance companies do not advertise all available discounts in a way that's easy to find, so here is a list both the well known and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance. If you aren't receiving every discount available, you are paying more than you should be.

Organization Discounts - Being a member of a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when buying car insurance.
Payment Method - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may be able to get reduced rates.
Save with a New Car - Adding a new car to your policy can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Auto/Life Discount - Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Fewer annual miles can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Military Rewards - Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
Employee of Federal Government - Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
Accident Free - Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts when compared with accident-prone drivers.

Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn't make money that way.

To choose insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Salina, click this link.

How can Allstate, GEICO and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Consumers in Kansas can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make the same claim that you'll save big after switching to them.

How can each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. Any driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who are not a match for the requirements must pay more money which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. That's why companies can make those claims. This illustrates why you need to get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

More detailed Kansas car insurance information is available at the Kansas Insurance Department website. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, view a list of available companies, learn about insurance regulations, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

And the best car insurance company is...

Budget-conscious car insurance can be bought both online and with local Salina insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies do not offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you're price shopping online, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.