Columbus, MS Car Insurance Buying Tips You Aren’t Supposed to Know

Expensive car insurance can drain your bank account and put a big crunch on your finances. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to cut your insurance bill.

Because you have many companies to choose from, it’s difficult to choose the lowest price insurance company.

Companies offer discounts so take them!

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit.

• Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Safety Course Discount – Taking a defensive driving course could save 5% or more if you qualify.
• Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
• Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
• Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
• Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
• Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
• Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for buying a policy before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.

Keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts in Mississippi, follow this link.

Compare Columbus Car Insurance Costs

Shopping for lower car insurance rates is a ton of work if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with agents in Columbus, or you can utilize the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

The majority of car insurance companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to complete one form, and every company can give them a price for coverage. This eliminates the need for quote forms to each individual car insurance company. To compare rates using this form now click to open in new window.

One minor caviat to using this type of form is you are unable to specify which companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to pick specific insurance companies to compare prices, we have a page of companies who write car insurance in Mississippi. View list of Mississippi insurance companies.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make absolute certain that you use exactly the same coverage limits for each price quote. If you use different limits and deductibles on each one it’s impossible to determine the best price in Columbus. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits can make a big difference in price. Just remember that having more price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting the best price.

Educated Consumers Know How to Buy Car Insurance Cheaper

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better car insurance rates.

• Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are quite a few additional coverages you can purchase when buying car insurance. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and motor club memberships are some examples. They may seem good initially, but if you don’t need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
• Lower miles equals lower premium – The higher the mileage driven every year the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers rate vehicles based on how the vehicle is used. Cars that are left in the garage receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Verify your car insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
• Being married can save on car insurance – Being married can actually save you money on your policy. It is viewed as being more mature and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
• With age comes lower rates – Mature drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be more careless in a vehicle therefore car insurance rates are much higher.

Can switching companies really save?

Allstate and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies make the same claim of big savings after switching your coverage to them. But how can every company claim to save you money?

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as a mature driver, is a homeowner, and has a high credit rating. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and therefore will cut their rates substantially.

Potential insureds who don’t meet the requirements will be charged more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s why insurance companies can state the savings.

That is why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It is impossible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More quotes mean more savings

Discount car insurance is attainable from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Columbus agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

You just read many tips how you can reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.

Additional car insurance information can be found on the website for the Mississippi Insurance Department through this link. Visitors are able to find disaster information, learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, and find a variety of consumer forms.

These articles may also be worth reading.

• Buy Columbus Car Insurance Like a Bargain Hunter
• Spending Too Much for Car Insurance in Columbus, OH? Here’s How to Save!