Things You Must Know Before Finding Norwalk, CT Auto Insurance Online

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can overdraw your personal savings, especially in this economy. Doing a price comparison is free and is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill. Popular companies such as GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and do the work needed to find the best deal.

If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can use this information to shop for the lowest rates and still get good coverage. Finding the best rates in Norwalk is easy if you know what you’re doing. Connecticut drivers just need to learn the most effective way to compare company rates over the internet.

Learn How to Lower your Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting your rates.

Tickets mean higher rates – Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Just one speeding ticket may increase your cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who have dangerous citations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
More claims means more premium – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Insurance companies in Connecticut give lower rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Insurance coverage is intended for the large, substantial claims.
Where do you drive? – The more you drive in a year’s time the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies apply a rate based on their usage. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage receive lower rates than those used for commuting. Verify your auto insurance policy is showing the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Clean credit earns discounts – Credit score is a important factor in determining your rates. If your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by repairing your credit. Consumers who have high credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with poor credit.
Pay less after the wedding – Having a spouse can get you a discount on your policy. It is viewed as being more responsible and it’s statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.
Better crash test results mean better rates – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. These vehicles have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Add-on coverages can add up – There are quite a few extra coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Things like personal injury protection, accident forgiveness and membership fees are some examples. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but your needs may have changed so remove them from your policy.

Free Quotes for Auto Insurance in Norwalk, CT

All the larger auto insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate give coverage prices online. The process is fairly straightforward as you just enter your coverage information into the quote form. After the form is submitted, the company’s rating system will order your driving and credit reports and generates pricing information based on these factors. This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time it takes to visit different websites and complete many quote forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s absolutely necessary to get many rate quotes if you want to find the lowest auto insurance rates.

The preferred way to lower your rates utilizes a single form that gets prices from several different companies. It saves time, eliminates form submissions, and makes quoting online much more enjoyable and efficient. Immediately after you send the form, it is quoted and you are able to buy your choice of the pricing results. If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and buy the policy. The whole process only takes a few minutes and may result in a nice savings.

In order to find out how much you’re overpaying now, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you duplicate deductibles and limits just like they are on your policy. This way, you will get a rate comparison based on similar coverages.

Pay less by taking advantage of discounts

Auto insurance companies don’t always list every discount very clearly, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application on their website.
Drive Safe and Save – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accident claims.
Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
Organization Discounts – Participating in a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
Payment Discounts – By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won’t be that lucky.

To choose providers with the best auto insurance discounts in Norwalk, click here to view. Norwalk Connecticut insurance prices

Do I need a local agent?

Some consumers prefer to buy from a licensed agent. Agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help file insurance claims. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you can get lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

Once you complete this short form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area who will compete for your business. You won’t need to leave your house as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. How cool is that?!

Picking an provider needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?

Compare rates from both independent and captive auto insurance agents

When researching a reliable agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are categorized either captive or independent. Both types can do a good job, but it’s worth learning the difference between them since it can impact the selection process.

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive insurance agents have only one company to place business with such as Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agencies are trained well on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents.

Shown below is a short list of captive agencies in Norwalk that can give you price quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 197 East Ave – Norwalk, CT 06855 – (203) 866-1133
State Farm Insurance – 365 Westport Ave # 6 – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 846-6803

Independent Agents

These agents are not locked into one company but rather can write business with lots of companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency.

When comparison shopping, we recommend you include price quotes from several independent insurance agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.

Listed below is a list of independent agents in Norwalk that are able to give rate quotes.

Connecticut Auto Insurance – 520 West Ave – Norwalk, CT 06850 – (203) 866-7800
John M Glover Agency – 29 Haviland St – Norwalk, CT 06854 – (203) 838-5554
Fairfield Insurance Group – 14 Overbrook Rd – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 849-9461
J M Layton Agency – 69 East Ave # 1 – Norwalk, CT 06851 – (203) 655-7474
Rowlison Agency Inc – 215 Liberty Sq – Norwalk, CT 06855 – (203) 838-4414

For a full directory of auto insurance agents in Norwalk, visit this site.

Upon getting positive responses to your questions and a low price estimate, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that will adequately provide auto insurance.

How to know if you need help

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions might help in determining if you would benefit from professional advice.

Do I need rental car coverage?
Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Connecticut?
Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
How high should my medical payments coverage be?
Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
When would I need additional glass coverage?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, free and can provide invaluable advice.

More detailed Connecticut auto insurance information can be found at the Connecticut Insurance Department website. Connecticut drivers can read consumer alerts, read industry bulletins, find disaster information, and learn about specific coverages.

In conclusion

When you buy insurance online, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

We just showed you a lot of information how to compare auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas compared to the large companies like Allstate or State Farm.