Tightwads Guide for Saving on Thomaston Auto Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can empty your bank account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Doing a price comparison is a great way to cut your insurance bill.

Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive promote their brand names with ad campaigns and it can be hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to compare prices on a regular basis because insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the lowest price six months ago you can probably find a better price now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're about to find out the fastest and easiest way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Finding affordable coverage in Thomaston is easy if you know what you're doing. But Georgia drivers do need to know the way companies market on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting rates.

  • With age comes lower rates - More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers. Teen drivers tend to be careless and easily distracted when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
  • High deductibles save money - Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply could be collision with another vehicle, collision with an animal, or theft. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket before your auto insurance pays a claim. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.
  • Rates may be higher depending on your occupation - Jobs such as judges, social workers and dentists tend to have the highest average rates due to stressful work requirements and long work hours. Other occupations like pilots, historians and the unemployed receive lower rates.
  • Special features that cut premiums - Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping auto theft.
  • Policy add-ons can waste money - There are a lot of add-on coverages that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and term life insurance are some examples. They may seem like a good idea initially, but if they're wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
  • Being married is a good thing - Having a wife or husband actually saves money on auto insurance. It means you're more mature than a single person and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.

Thomaston auto insurance comparison

Be sure to get all your discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.

  • College Student - Youth drivers who are attending college without a vehicle on campus can receive lower rates.
  • Own a Home - Owning a house in Thomaston can save you money because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
  • No Accidents - Drivers who don't have accidents pay much less as compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Drivers Ed for Students - Cut your cost by having your teen driver complete a driver education course in high school.
  • Drive Less and Save - Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
  • Sign Online - Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
  • Defensive Driving Course - Taking a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
  • Service Members Pay Less - Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
  • Anti-lock Brakes - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To choose companies with the best auto insurance discounts in Thomaston, click here.

Is there truth in advertising?

Auto insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm regularly use television and radio advertisements. They all seem to have a common claim that you'll save big if you move to their company. How can each company make almost identical claims? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. For instance, a desirable insured could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. A driver that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't measure up to the requirements will have to pay a higher premium and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. This is how companies can state the savings.

Because of the profiling, you should compare as many rates as you can. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Much more information about auto insurance in Georgia is located on the website for the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner found here. Georgia consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and view a list of available companies.

Do the work, save more money

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to discover later that they should have had better coverage. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at the best price.

Discount auto insurance is definitely available online and also from your neighborhood Thomaston agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.