Expert Advice on Lower South Salt Lake Car Insurance

I can’t think of a single person who likes having to buy car insurance, especially knowing the price is too high. Because there are so many online and local companies to choose from, it can be impossible to choose the lowest price provider.

You need to price shop coverage once or twice a year due to the fact that insurance rates change regularly. Just because you found the best deal two years ago there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re about to find out one of the easiest ways to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

This information will tell you the most effective way to quote insurance and some tricks to saving. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. Utah drivers only need to know the proper way to find the lowest price over the internet.

Quick South Salt Lake Car Insurance Quotes

Getting better car insurance pricing is not a difficult process. You just need to spend a few minutes on the computer comparing price quotes from different insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

1. The best way consumers can make multiple comparisons is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This form keeps you from doing separate forms for every car insurance company. Just one form gets rate comparisons from multiple companies.
2. A harder way to find lower rates consists of going to the website for each individual company and complete a new quote form. For example, let’s say you want comparison quotes from Progressive, GEICO and Liberty Mutual. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to insurance companies in South Salt Lake, click here.

Which method you use is up to you, but make sure you use the exact same coverages for every company. If you use different limits and deductibles on each one you can’t possibly find the best deal in South Salt Lake.

Don’t listen to company ads

Utah consumers can’t ignore all the ads for car insurance savings from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all have a common claim that you can save if you move your policy.

How can each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Different companies can use profiling for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A propective insured who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who don’t qualify for the requirements must pay higher prices and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

South Salt Lake Rates are Influenced by These Factors

It’s important that you understand the different types of things that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better car insurance rates.

Shown below are a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine premiums.

• Men fork out a little more – Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes have accidents at about the same rate, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Young males are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
• Rural vs Urban Areas – Residing in a rural area has it’s advantages when talking about car insurance. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. City drivers have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. More time commuting means higher likelihood of an accident.
• Better credit scores mean better rates – A driver’s credit score is a important factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible than those with poor credit.
• Traffic citations inflate rates – A bad driving record has a huge affect on how much you pay. Even one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Careful drivers have lower premiums than people who have multiple driving citations. If you have severe violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may find they need to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
• Don’t skimp on liability – Liability coverage will protect you if you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It will provide you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
• Policy add-ons can waste money – There are quite a few extra coverages that you can buy if you aren’t careful. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem good at first, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.

Lots of discounts mean lots of savings

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Most are applied when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for prior to getting the savings. If you don’t get every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
• Service Members Pay Less – Being on active duty in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
• Student in College – Any of your kids living away from home attending college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off your medical payments premium.
• Memberships – Participating in a qualifying organization may earn a discount when shopping for car insurance.
• Good Student – A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
• Drive Safe and Save – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
• Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck. But all discounts will cut the cost of coverage.

To see a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in South Salt Lake, click this link.

Summing up your car insurance search

While you’re price shopping online, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheaper car insurance is possible on the web and also from your neighborhood South Salt Lake agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who may not provide online quoting and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

More information can be read on the website for the Utah Insurance Department located here. Consumers can download brochures, learn about insurance regulations, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.