Tightwads Guide for Saving on Spruce Pine Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us, many Spruce Pine consumers feel financially strained by their car insurance policy. Companies like GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with advertising and it is difficult to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It's important to compare prices at least once a year due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best price a few years ago a different company probably has better rates today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you're about to find out how to use online quotes to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

How much can you save with discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don't necessarily list all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find both the well known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using. If you aren't receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.

Life Insurance - Some companies give better rates if you take out life insurance.
Drive Less and Save - Fewer annual miles can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Homeowners Discount - Owning a house in Spruce Pine can help you save on car insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Federal Government Employee - Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
Senior Citizens - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.

Keep in mind that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn't work that way.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

Lower miles equals lower premium - Driving more miles in a year the more you will pay for car insurance. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Double check that your car insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage.
Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are a ton of extra coverages that you can buy when buying car insurance. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Adjust deductibles and save - 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. A few examples of covered claims would be running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, or theft. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are required to spend before your car insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Jobs such as lawyers, business owners and dentists have the highest average rates in part from high stress and long work days. Other occupations like actors, historians and performers get better rates.
Older drivers pay less - Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers. Youthful drivers are known to be less responsible when behind the wheel and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Better crash test results mean better rates - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. These vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit history is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit score is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than those with lower credit scores.

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

Consumers in North Carolina get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from the likes of GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to make an identical promise that you can save after switching your coverage to them.

How can each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Drivers who don't meet the requirements will have to pay higher premiums and ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, drivers should get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which car insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Find out more about car insurance

Additional detailed information can be found at the North Carolina Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, discover disciplinary actions, report car insurance fraud, and read industry bulletins.

And the best car insurance company is...

When shopping online for car insurance, it's a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.

Affordable car insurance can be sourced both online as well as from independent agents in Spruce Pine, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.