Easy Ways to Save Money on Jefferson City Missouri Car Insurance

Nobody looks forward to paying for car insurance, especially when they are paying too much.

Popular companies such as GEICO, Progressive and Allstate continually bombard you with advertising and it is challenging if not impossible to see past the geckos and flying pigs and do the work needed to find the best deal.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically at the time you complete a quote, but some must be requested specifically before they will apply.

• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying coverage for multiple cars or trucks on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Accident Forgiveness – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
• Resident Student – Youth drivers living away from home attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child complete a driver education course if it’s offered in school.
• Anti-theft System – Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• E-sign – A few companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up online.

As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

For a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Missouri, click this link.

Finding Car Insurance Deals in Jefferson City

There are several ways of comparing rates from local in Jefferson Citycar insurance companies. The recommended way to find competitive insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

1. The first (and easiest) way to get quotes would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This method keeps you from doing repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company. A single, simple form will return quotes from many national carriers.
2. A different way to compare rate quotes consists of visiting the website of each company and request a quote. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want to compare Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site to enter your coverage information, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a handy list of car insurance company links in Jefferson City, click here.
3. The least recommended way to get comparison rates is to drive around to insurance agents’ offices. The internet can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you require the professional guidance that only a license agent can provide. Drivers can find lower rates online but still have the advice of a local agent and we’ll talk about that later.

It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you’re using apples-to-apples quote information for each price quote. If you have different liability limits you can’t possibly make an equal comparison in Jefferson City. Slightly different coverage limits may cause a big price difference. And when comparison shopping, getting more free quotes will improve the odds of getting better pricing.

Tips to Get Lower Jefferson City Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get big savings.

The following are a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine your rates.

• Better credit scores mean better rates – Your credit rating is a big factor in determining your rates. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than those with poor credit. So if your credit rating can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
• Men pay higher rates – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. Men and women cause accidents at a similar rate, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving.
• More miles equals more premium – The higher the mileage driven in a year the more you will pay for car insurance. The majority of insurers apply a rate determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your car insurance declarations sheet properly reflects the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
• How many coverages with the same company – Some companies give discounts to people who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even with this discount, you may still want to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Drivers may still find better rates by splitting coverages up.

What happened to insurance agents?

Some consumers would rather talk to a local agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is you can get lower rates and still choose a local agent. And providing support for local businesses is important particularly in Jefferson City.

For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to companies in Jefferson City who will return price quotes to get your business. You won’t need to leave your house since price quotes are sent immediately to your email address. How’s that for easy! Get lower rates and work with a local agent.

If you prefer to select a specific agent in Jefferson City, view this link.

Selecting an insurance company requires more thought than just a low price. Some important questions to ask are:

• Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Missouri?
• Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
• Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
• What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
• How long has their agency been in business in Jefferson City?
• Is working in the agency their full-time job?
• Can they give you a list of client referrals?
• Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?

After receiving satisfactory answers to these questions and a low price estimate, it’s possible that you found an insurer that will insure your vehicles.

And the best car insurance company is…

When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Affordable car insurance is available online and also from your neighborhood Jefferson City agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just learned some good ideas how to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from the least-expected company. They can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like GEICO and State Farm.

Additional resources for Missouri consumers

Much more information about car insurance in Missouri is available on the website for the Missouri Department of Insurance found here. Missouri consumers can find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, and report car insurance fraud.