Car Insurance in Portsmouth - 9 Discounts Consumers are Forgetting

I can’t think of a single person who looks forward to buying car insurance, especially when their premiums are too high. Multiple insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare car insurance companies to find the absolute best rates possible.

It’s a great practice to take a look at other company’s rates at least once a year since rates fluctuate regularly. Even if you think you had the best price a few years ago you can probably find a better price now. There is a lot of bad advice regarding car insurance online, so we’re going to give you some great ways to save money.

Finding Car Insurance in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Reducing your insurance rates can be quick and easy. The only thing you need to do is invest a few minutes to compare quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished in several different ways.

The most efficient way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This form eliminates the need for separate quotation requests for each company you want a rate for. One form submission will get you price quotes direct from many companies.
Another way to compare rate quotes is going to the website for every company you want to comare and complete a new quote form. For examples sake, let’s assume you want rates from Auto-Owners, Progressive and GMAC. You would have to take the time to go to each site to enter your coverage information, which is why most consumers use the first method.
For a list of links to insurance companies in Portsmouth, click here.
The least efficient way of getting rate comparisons to local Portsmouth insurance agencies. Buying insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you have a need for the professional advice of a local Portsmouth agent. You can, however, comparison shop online but buy from a local insurance agent and we’ll cover that in a bit.

It’s up to you which method you use, but make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples coverages and limits for every quote you compare. If each company quotes higher or lower deductibles then you won’t be able to decipher which rate is best in Portsmouth.

Don’t be fooled by advertising claims

Consumers in Rhode Island constantly see and hear ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you move your policy.

How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a driver they prefer could be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has a high credit rating. A customer who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who do not match this ideal profile will have to pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently state the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers should compare many company’s rates. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Don’t miss these nine discounts

Auto insurance companies do not advertise all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the more common and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.

New Car Discount – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
55 and Retired – Mature drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Accident Free – Claim-free drivers pay less as compared to drivers who are more careless.
Sign Online – Certain companies will give a small break for buying your policy over the internet.
Resident Student – Any of your kids who live away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
Multiple Vehicles – Insuring multiple vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Good Student – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.

Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way.

For a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Portsmouth, click here to view.

But I prefer to buy car insurance from an agent

A small number of people would prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! Good agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you peace of mind. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can obtain better rates and still choose a local agent.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your insurance data is immediately sent to local insurance agents who will battle to get your business. You won’t need to leave your computer due to the fact that quote results will go to the email address you provide.

Choosing an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just the price. Agents should be asked these questions:

What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
How long has their agency been open in Portsmouth?
Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
Is assistance available after office hours?

If you prefer to contact a specific insurance agent in Portsmouth, visit this site.

After getting answers to your satisfaction to all your questions and an affordable coverage quote, you may have just found an insurance company that will service your policy. But keep in mind policyholders can cancel your policy at any time so never feel you are locked into your new company for the entire policy term.

Car insurance coverages 101

Having a good grasp of your policy can help you determine the best coverages for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are typical coverage types available from car insurance companies.

Liability coverages

This coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability insurance covers claims like court costs, bail bonds, pain and suffering and emergency aid. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Rhode Island requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.

Comprehensive auto coverage

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like damage from getting keyed, hail damage, vandalism and hitting a deer. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Coverage for collisions

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers things such as crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb, sustaining damage from a pot hole and crashing into a building. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many Rhode Island drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 25/50/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for expenses like X-ray expenses, funeral costs and ambulance fees. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

Even more information is available at the Rhode Island Division of Insurance Regulation website. Rhode Island consumers can find disaster information, learn about insurance regulations, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about a company.

More related Portsmouth car insurance information:

In the end, you save

We just presented some good ideas how you can lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

As you restructure your insurance plan, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Cheaper car insurance is attainable both online and with local Portsmouth insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies do not offer online quoting and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

Car Insurance in Portsmouth – 9 Discounts Consumers are Forgetting