It’s impossible to miss the catchy advertisements from insurers like Progressive, GEICO, and The General that guarantee the cheapest price, so you should just pick the company with the best ad, right?
It’s not quite that easy, unfortunately, as there are a ton of unknown factors like if you have a clean driving record, whether you just want liability only, the level of liability coverage you want, and if you are a renter or homeowner. This article will discuss the best ways to save money and will hopefully give you a good beginning to your search for cheaper coverage.
Finding out which companies offer the best auto insurance rates for infrequent drivers requires more time in order to find the most economical policy. Every car insurance company uses a slightly different approach for filing rates in each state, so let’s take a look at the auto insurance companies with the overall best prices in Montana.
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Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Safeco | $853 |
2 | Progressive | $942 |
3 | USAA | $1,024 |
4 | State Farm | $1,069 |
5 | MetLife | $1,151 |
6 | National Farmers Union | $1,204 |
7 | Allied | $1,335 |
8 | California Casualty | $1,568 |
9 | Farmers | $1,588 |
10 | GEICO | $1,723 |
11 | Allstate | $2,029 |
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Safeco quotes some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Montana at around $853 each year. Progressive, USAA, State Farm, and MetLife would also be considered some of the cheapest Montana car insurance companies.
As shown above, if you currently have a policy with State Farm and switched to Safeco, you might achieve a yearly price reduction of roughly $216. Insureds with MetLife may save as much as $298 a year, and National Farmers Union policyholders might lower prices by up to $351 a year.
Remember that these premium estimates are averaged across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and do not factor in a price discount for infrequent drivers. So the insurer that has the lowest price for you may not even be in the list of companies shown earlier. That illustrates why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own personal information and vehicle type.
The car, truck, or SUV that is being insured is probably the biggest factor when trying to find cheaper insurance for infrequent drivers. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor safety features, or a track record of large liability claims will cost significantly more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The data below shows auto insurance costs for a handful of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure in Montana.
Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $2,282 |
Toyota Prius | $2,566 |
Chevrolet Traverse LTZ 2WD | $2,573 |
Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $2,580 |
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 2WD 4-Dr | $2,646 |
Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $2,660 |
Chevrolet Malibu LS | $2,698 |
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $2,707 |
Toyota Sienna LE AWD | $2,698 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $2,704 |
Ford F-150 STX Regular Cab 4WD | $2,778 |
Honda Civic EX 4-Dr Sedan | $2,795 |
Subaru Forester X AWD | $2,816 |
Ford Edge Limited AWD | $2,858 |
Toyota Camry XLE | $2,865 |
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Above prices assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Montana minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Estimates do not factor in specific location information which can lower or raise rates substantially.
By looking at the data, you can presume that models like the Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Accord, and Jeep Wrangler will be a few of the cheapest vehicles to insure for low mileage drivers.
Auto insurance companies that offer the cheapest auto insurance for infrequent drivers in Montana may provide premium discounts that could lower prices by as much as 35% if you meet eligibility requirements. Companies and a partial list of their discounts include:
Discount | Allstate | Geico | State Farm | Progressive | Liberty Mutual | Nationwide |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bundle discount | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Multi-vehicle | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Anti-theft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Safe vehicle | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Air bags | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Newer vehicle | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Green vehicle | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Safe driver | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Defensive driver training | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Low miles | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Active duty military | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Occupational | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Pay in full | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Auto-pay | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Loyalty | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Good grades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Distant student | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Own a home | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Use seat belts | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Get quote online | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Teen driver | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
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The chart below visualizes the comparison of auto insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The costs are based on a female driver, no claims or violations, Montana state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average rate with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multiple policy, homeowner, passive restraint, vehicle safety, defensive driving course, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, the the average amount saved on auto insurance for infrequent drivers is 13% or $287.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDiscqcibChart);function drawDiscqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘Female Driver No Discounts’, ‘Female Driver with Discounts’],[‘Age 20’, 4179,3003],[‘Age 30’, 2877,2083],[‘Age 40’, 2673,1933],[‘Age 50’, 2333,1689],[‘Age 60’, 2255,1633],[‘Age 70’, 2637,1899]]);var options = {title: ‘Insurance Rate Comparison with Discounts for Infrequent Drivers’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 500,’chartArea’:{left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’},colors: [‘#c096ca’, ‘#e1b7ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibdisc’));chart.draw(data, options);}
The common sense way to enjoy the cheapest auto insurance for infrequent drivers in Montana is to drive safe and avoid tickets and accidents. The information below illustrates how violations and at-fault claims raise insurance prices for different categories of driver ages. The premiums are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $250 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawVioqcibChart);function drawVioqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘No Violations or Accidents’, ‘One Speeding Ticket and No Accidents’, ‘One Speeding Ticket and One Accident’],[‘Age 20’, 3337,3727,4799],[‘Age 30’, 2329,2717,3789],[‘Age 40’, 2305,2689,3765],[‘Age 50’, 2025,2407,3483],[‘Age 60’, 1929,2313,3387],[‘Age 70’, 2067,2453,3527]]);var options = {title: ‘Effect of Tickets and Accidents on Montana Car Insurance Rates’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’, fontSize: 17, bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 600,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},colors:[‘#b2da64′,’#eed355′,’#e39e71’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle in Montana’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);formatter.format(data,3);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibvio’));chart.draw(data, options);}
The data in the chart shows the average cost of car insurance per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,332. Factor in one speeding ticket and the average cost swells to $2,718, an increase of $386 each year. Now add in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of auto insurance for infrequent drivers increases to an average of $3,792. That’s an increase of $1,460, or $122 per month, just for not being more responsible behind the wheel!
Here are some penny-pinching ideas that can help drivers find more affordable coverage.
That last idea is particularly valuable, as we stressed in this write-up. Insurance rates in Montana adjust often, so don’t be unwilling to switch to a new company if a lower price can be found. Brand loyalty is not necessarily bad, but we do not recommend it if that stubbornness costs you a considerable chunk of change every month. In just a couple of minutes you could shop around and find cheaper insurance for infrequent drivers.
There are a variety of different ways to find cheap auto insurance in Montana, but the most popular are through an independent or non-exclusive agent, a captive (or exclusive) agency like Allstate or Liberty Mutual, or direct from companies such as Progressive or Geico.
Each way is similar, but buyers need to know the differences in how they provide rate quotes.
Independent agents have contracts with many companies and can do rate comparisons with all of them. These agents are not locked into one company and can provide you with more rate quotes, which may give you better odds of saving money. If they find a lower price, it’s easy for the agent to move the policy which prevents you from having to switch agents.
An agent who is captive is able to quote prices with just one company, two popular examples being Liberty Mutual and Allstate agents. These agents normally cannot provide prices from multiple companies, so if their pricing is high, there is no alternative.
Buying auto insurance direct means you forego either of the other two types of agents and instead shop buying direct from a company like Progressive or Geico. Shopping for auto insurance direct may be good for consumers who do not have a lot of assets and know more than average about the limitations of their policy.
Which method is best to find the cheapest auto insurance for infrequent drivers in Montana? It would be simple to say buying from a direct company saves the most money since it doesn’t require paying agent commissions, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. It could also be said an independent agent results in the cheapest rates since they can quote with many companies, but that assumption is also not necessarily accurate. In many cases, exclusive agents may have prices that are impossible to beat.
Since auto insurance companies use so many rating factors, the best method to find out which one is cheapest is to get quotes and compare the rates. Set aside the time to get prices from all three in order to have the best selection to choose from. We compiled a list of companies with some of the cheapest online rates that you can click here to view.