Easy Methods to Spend Less on St Joseph Auto Insurance

Finding lower rates for St Joseph auto insurance is nearly impossible for people who are new to buying insurance online. People have so many options available that it can turn into a ton of work to compare prices in St Joseph.

Finding affordable coverage in St Joseph is quite easy. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to save some money using this information. Illinois drivers only need an understanding of the proper way to compare company rates online.

Cheap St Joseph Auto Insurance Comparisons

There are several ways you can shop for auto insurance but some are less time-consuming than others. You could spend your day driving to insurance companies in St Joseph, or you could save time and use the internet to quickly compare rates.

All the larger companies belong to an insurance system that allows shoppers to complete one form, and every company provides a quote based on that information. This saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions to each individual auto insurance company. To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to using this type of form is you cannot specify which companies to get pricing from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to compare rates, we have a listing of auto insurance companies in Illinois. Click here for list of insurance companies in Illinois.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you're using identical coverage limits and deductibles for every company. If the quotes have different liability limits it's impossible to decipher which rate is best in St Joseph.

You have some control over your rates

It's important that you understand the different types of things that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what determines base rates enables informed choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are some of the factors auto insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

Drive a safer car and pay less - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
Claim-free discounts can add up - Auto insurance companies in Illinois award lower rates to policyholders who are claim-free. If you file claims often, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Your insurance policy is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? - Most insurers will award you with lower prices to customers who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to shop around to ensure the best deal. You may still be able to find better rates by buying auto insurance from a different company.
Battle of the sexes - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Both sexes have accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and thus pay the highest rates.
Policy add-ons can waste money - There are many extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but if they're wasting money eliminate them to save money.
Where you live is a factor - Being located in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when insuring your vehicles. Drivers who live in large cities have to deal with more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
Older drivers save more - Teen drivers in Illinois are statistically proven to get distracted easily in a vehicle so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Mature drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
High performance equals high price - The make and model of the car you are insuring makes a substantial difference in determining your rates. The lowest rates are for small economy passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Car insurance companies don't list all available discounts very clearly, so here is a list both well-publicized as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using. If you're not getting every credit available, you're just leaving money on the table.

Service Members Pay Less - Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
Employee of Federal Government - Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
Anti-lock Brake System - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.
Save over 55 - Older drivers may qualify for better auto insurance rates.
Defensive Driver - Successfully completing a course in driver safety could save 5% or more depending on where you live.
Life Insurance - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance.
Discount for New Cars - Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
Early Signing - Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don't profit that way.

For a list of insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Illinois, click here to view.

More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Illinois consumers can find disaster information, download brochures, and read consumer alerts.

A tidy conclusion

Cost effective auto insurance can be found online and also from your neighborhood St Joseph agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide online quoting and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

People switch companies for a number of reasons such as delays in responding to claim requests, extreme rates for teen drivers, policy cancellation and denial of a claim. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.