10 Proven Ways to Lower Auto Insurance Rates in Northfield, VT

No one in their right mind looks forward to buying auto insurance, especially when the cost is way too high.

Many insurers compete for your hard-earned dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies and get the definite lowest rate possible.

It’s a good idea to do rate comparisons yearly because insurance rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the quickest ways to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

If you have car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Buying car insurance in Northfield is quite easy. But Vermont drivers should learn how big insurance companies sell online because it can help you find the best coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies that sell car insurance do not list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find both the well known and also the lesser-known ways to save on auto insurance.

• Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy life insurance.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
• Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
• Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
• Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
• Resident Student – Children who are attending college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
• Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.

Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.

For a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Vermont, click here.

Comprehensive Northfield Auto Insurance Comparison

Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can take hours if you don’t understand the easiest way. You can spend your afternoon driving to agents in Northfield, or you can utilize the internet to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Most of the larger companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to enter their policy data once, and every company then returns a price quote for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for.

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The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you cannot specify which carriers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare rates, we have assembled a list of low cost auto insurance companies in Vermont. Click here for list of insurance companies in Vermont.

Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using apples-to-apples coverages and limits for each price quote. If the quotes have different liability limits then you won’t be able to determine which rate is truly the best in Northfield. Just a small difference in insurance coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies will enable you to find the best offered rates.

Buy Cheaper Auto Insurance with These Tips

It’s important that you understand the different types of things that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.

• High performance equals high price – The performance level of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in how high your rates are. The cheapest insurance rates are generally reserved for low performance passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
• Males pay more for insurance – Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. They both have accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Young males are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
• Marriage pays dividends – Getting married can get you a discount on auto insurance. Having a significant other translates into being more mature and responsible and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
• Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability insurance is the coverage that protects you in the event that you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
• Never let your coverage lapse – Not having insurance can get your license suspended and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your coverage lapse. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage will get you a license revocation or jail time.You may need to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Vermont department of motor vehicles.
• Where you live can impact rates – Living in small towns and rural areas has it’s advantages when talking about auto insurance. Lower population means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Urban drivers have congested traffic and a longer drive to work. More time commuting can result in more accidents.
• Discounts for multiple policies – The majority of companies provide better rates to customers who have multiple policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can be anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. If you currently are using one company, it’s in your best interest to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money. Consumers may find a better deal by buying auto insurance from a different company.
• Proper usage rating affects rates – Driving more miles each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers apply a rate based on how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks not used for work or commuting receive lower rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Auto insurance providers like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. They all have a common claim that you’ll save big after switching to their company. But how can every company claim to save you money?

Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as over the age of 50, has no tickets, and has great credit. A customer who matches those parameters will get very good rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged higher prices and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. That is why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

One last thing

Lower-priced auto insurance is available both online and also from your neighborhood Northfield agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

We just covered some good ideas how you can save on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small mutual company. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice full coverage to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price.

Vermont insurance information

Additional detailed information can be read at the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation website. Vermont consumers can find out industry alerts, report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and find out which companies have the most complaints.