How to Know You're Wasting Money for Car Insurance in Wasilla

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me, you are not the only one feeling buyer's remorse. Since consumers have many options when it comes to car insurance, it can be impossible to locate the most affordable car insurance company.

It's important to get comparison quotes every six months because rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the lowest price a few years ago a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance online, so we're going to give you some great ways to find cheap car insurance.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of purchase, but a few must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit. If you don't get every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

  • Theft Prevention System - Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and will save you 10% or more.
  • Multiple Vehicles - Buying coverage for multiple vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Multi-policy Discount - If you have multiple policies with one insurance company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
  • Early Switch Discount - Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It's a savings of about 10%.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of 20% or more.
  • Federal Government Employee - Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

Wasilla car insurance quote

Understand what determines the rate you pay

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that help determine your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that can help you get big savings.

  • Discounts for multiple policies - Many companies give discounts to policyholders who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount you still need to compare other company rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - Physical damage coverage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are a windshield shattered by a rock, vandalism, and rolling your vehicle. Your deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the less your car insurance will be.
  • Big city or small town - Choosing to live in less populated areas has it's advantages when it comes to car insurance. City drivers tend to have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
  • What type of vehicle do you drive? - The performance level of the vehicle you drive makes a big difference in how high your rates are. The lowest rates are generally reserved for low performance passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
  • Clean credit earns discounts - Your credit history is a important factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit rating is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your rating. Consumers who have high credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower credit scores.
  • High numbers of claims are not good - If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Insurance companies in Alaska provide discounts to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.

How can Allstate and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from companies such as Allstate and Progressive. All the ads say the same thing about savings after switching your policy.

But how can every company make the same claim?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a preferred risk could be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has a short commute. A customer who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential customers who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged higher prices which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That's the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

That is why drivers should compare many company's rates. Because you never know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Learn more about Alaska car insurance

Additional information is located on the website for the Alaska Division of Insurance located here. Consumers can read consumer alerts, report car insurance fraud, view agent and company licensing information, and learn about specific coverages.

Also read more on BankRate.com's Car Insurance: When not to Skimp and this Wasilla agent directory.

In the end, you save

As you shop your coverage around, don't be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. Too many times, someone sacrificed collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheap car insurance can be purchased from both online companies in addition to many Wasilla insurance agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

We just showed you many ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as .