How to Know You're Paying Too Much for Car Insurance in Springfield

Nobody looks forward to paying for car insurance, particularly when the price is too high. Companies like GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to price shop coverage periodically due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal a year ago a different company probably has better rates today. Starting now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I'm going to teach you the proper way to lower your annual insurance bill.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies don't always publicize every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so here is a list both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If you aren't receiving every discount you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

Early Switch Discount - Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. It's a savings of about 10%.
Good Student - Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
Senior Citizens - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
Federal Employees - Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
Military Discounts - Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.

Keep in mind that some credits don't apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn't work that way.

Learn How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.

Performance level impacts rates - The type of vehicle you drive makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. Economy passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - Drivers with clean records get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single speeding ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
Men pay higher rates - Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women are in accidents at about the same rate, but men have costlier accidents. Men also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Young males are the most expensive to insure and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
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 like doctors, social workers and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates due to high stress and long work hours. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and performers pay the least.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions may help highlight whether you will benefit from professional help.

Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Georgia?
Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
Should I buy additional glass protection?
Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?

If you can't answer these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It's fast, doesn't cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

How can State Farm and Allstate save drivers who switch?

Consumers in Georgia get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance from companies such as State Farm and Allstate. All the ads have a common claim that you can save after switching your policy.

How can each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that earns them a profit. An example of a preferred risk might be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. Any driver that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Drivers who are not a match for the requirements will be charged a higher premium and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can make those claims. That is why drivers should compare many company's rates. You cannot predict which company will have the lowest rates.

Additional detailed information is available at the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner website. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, learn about insurance regulations, and read industry bulletins.

In the end, you save

We just presented a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies. Regional companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as .

While you're price shopping online, it's a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.