Discover the Secrets to Paying Less for Southaven Mississippi Auto Insurance

Are you sick and tired of not being able to afford to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Insurance companies such as State Farm and GEICO all claim big savings with catchy ads and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance in Southaven, MS

Getting better auto insurance pricing is a fairly straight forward process. Just take time comparing price quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

One of the simplest ways to get quotes for comparison is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This form eliminates the need for separate quotation requests for every auto insurance company. Completing one form gets rate comparisons instantly.
A less efficient way to find lower rates requires a visit to the website for each individual company and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want rates from Auto-Owners, Esurance and Farmers. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website and enter your policy data, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
To view a list of companies in Southaven, click here.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just double check that you are using apples-to-apples quote information for every company. If you are comparing different deductibles it will be impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Southaven.

Discounts are basically free money

Companies that sell car insurance don’t necessarily list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both the well known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

Discount for New Cars – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
Memberships – Being a member of a qualifying organization could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance.
Resident Student – Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.

It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.

To choose insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Mississippi, follow this link.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Older drivers save more – Teenage drivers in Mississippi are known to be careless and easily distracted when driving so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Having to add a teenage driver to your auto insurance policy can be very expensive. More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel.
Rural vs Urban Areas – Choosing to live in a rural area can be a good thing when talking about auto insurance. Fewer people means reduced accidents and a lower car theft rate. Drivers in populated Mississippi areas have much more traffic to deal with and a longer drive to work. More time commuting can result in more accidents.
High deductibles save money – Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply could be a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. Deductibles for physical damage are the amount of money you are required to spend out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Optional equipment can affect rates – Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all aid in stopping auto theft.
Do you have a high stress job? – Careers like real estate brokers, executives and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates attributed to job stress and long work days. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and retirees have the lowest average rates.
Traffic citations inflate rates – Even a single moving violation can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Careful drivers receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who get dangerous violations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may be required to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.

More detailed Mississippi auto insurance information can be found at the Mississippi Insurance Department website. Mississippi consumers can download brochures, read state legal mandates and laws, read consumer alerts, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all seem to make the same claim that you can save if you move to them.

How do they all make the same claim? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential insureds who fall outside the “perfect” profile must pay higher prices and this can result in business not being written. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s why insurance companies can advertise the way they do. This illustrates why it is so important to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s not possible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More effort can pay off

Cheaper auto insurance is available from both online companies and with local Southaven insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.

When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.