Columbia Falls Montana Car Insurance Savings the Insurance Agents Don’t Want You to Know About

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me when I say you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. Lots of car insurance companies contend for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates to discover the definitive best price available.

If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can follow these tips to reduce the price you pay and possibly find even better coverage. Buying car insurance in Columbia Falls is easy if you know what you’re doing. Montana vehicle owners only need to know the proper way to compare price quotes over the internet.

Educated Consumers Know How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper

It’s important that you understand the rating factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in big savings.

• Little extras can really add up – There are many additional coverages that you can buy on your policy. Insurance for roadside assistance, towing coverage and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea at first, but if you don’t need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
• High performance equals high price – The performance level of the vehicle you drive makes a substantial difference in the rate you pay. The lowest base rates tend to be for low performance passenger cars, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
• Being married is a good thing – Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on car insurance. Having a significant other translates into being more responsible and it’s statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
• Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Safer cars can get you lower premiums. These vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.

Don’t miss these discounts

Car insurance can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts that can drop the cost substantially. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but less common discounts must be manually applied before they will apply. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Braking Control Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Safety Course Discount – Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy life insurance.
• Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
• Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for switching to them before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you could save 5% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will cut your premiums.

For a list of insurers with discount car insurance rates in Columbia Falls, click here to view.

Is there truth in advertising?

Montana consumers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Allstate and Progressive. They all make the same claim of big savings if you change to them.

But how can every company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a driver they prefer could be over the age of 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Consumers who fall outside the requirements must pay a more expensive rate which leads to business going elsewhere. The ads say “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save money. That is how companies can claim big savings.

This illustrates why you need to compare many company’s rates. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

When might I need help?

When choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions might help in determining whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

• Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Montana?
• Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
• Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
• Are rental cars covered under my policy?
• Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
• Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
• Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?

If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.

Learn more about Montana car insurance

More information can be found on the website for the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance found here. Montana drivers can download brochures, view a list of available companies, and read consumer alerts.

Other informative sites include III.org’s auto insurance page and this link where you can get more info about Columbia Falls coverage.

More effort can pay off

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where an insured cut collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Lower-priced car insurance can be bought from both online companies in addition to many Columbia Falls insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

In this article, we covered quite a bit of information on how to save on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. They often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.