Tightwads Instructions on Saving on Southampton Car Insurance

No one likes paying for car insurance, particularly when the cost is way too high. Lots of contend for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the lowest rate

It's important to compare prices occasionally due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best price a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I'm going to let you in on the secrets to how to quote online to get good coverage at a lower rate.

If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Finding the best rates in Southampton is not that difficult. New York consumers only need to know how to buy car insurance on the web.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Car insurance can cost a lot, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help bring down the price. Most are applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be asked about prior to getting the savings. If they aren't giving you every credit you qualify for, you're paying more than you need to.

Discount for Swiching Early - Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.
Theft Prevention Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
Low Mileage - Low mileage vehicles can earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Safety Course Discount - Successfully completing a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Senior Citizens - Mature drivers may receive a small decrease in premiums.
Homeowners Savings - Being a homeowner may trigger a car insurance policy discount because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can get savings of 20% or more.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will cut the cost of coverage.

To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Southampton, follow this link.

Finding Car Insurance Deals in Southampton, NY

Most companies such as State Farm and Allstate provide price estimates on their websites. Obtaining pricing is quite simple as you simply enter your coverage preferences as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote. Online price quotes streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit many different websites and type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to do this if you want to find the best price on car insurance.

The preferred way to get multiple rate quotes makes use of a single form that analyzes rates from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes rate comparisons much easier to do. Immediately after you send the form, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any of the price quotes you receive.

If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and purchase coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

In order to find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you type in deductibles and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will have a fair comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate your rates.

Bad driving skills means higher rates - Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Just one moving violation can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who get dangerous violations like DUI or reckless driving may be required to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
One company can mean more discounts - Some companies give discounts to insureds who consolidate policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even if you're getting this discount you still need to compare rates to verify if the discount is saving money.
Drive a safer car and pay less - Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. Safer cars protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and lower rates for you.
Add-on coverages can add up - There are quite a few additional coverages you can purchase when buying car insurance. Coverages like rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.

Tailor your coverage to you

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone's needs are different and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. For instance, these questions might point out whether you could use an agent's help.

Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.

How can State Farm and Allstate save drivers who switch?

Consumers in New York can't get away from ads for cheaper car insurance from the likes of State Farm and Allstate. All the ads say the same thing about savings if you change your coverage to them.

How do they all claim to save you money?

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk might be over the age of 40, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile will be charged a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

That is why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

In the end, you save

We just presented a lot of information how to compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with a small local company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as .

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many cases where an insured cut physical damage coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

The cheapest car insurance is attainable both online as well as from independent agents in Southampton, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies don't offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.

For more New York car insurance information

Additional information can be found on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services located here. Visitors are able to file complaints about a company, read consumer alerts, find disaster information, and discover disciplinary actions.