Confused by the crazy number of auto insurance company choices in El Dorado? You’re not the only one! People have so many options that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to find lower rates.
Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.
- Battle of the sexes – Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both have accidents in similar numbers, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
- A lapse in coverage is a bad thing – Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse is a sure-fire way to trigger a rate increase. Not only will rates go up, but not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a license revocation or jail time.You may then be required to file a SR-22 with the Kansas motor vehicle department.
- Lower rates with optional equipment – Driving a car with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder auto theft.
- High deductibles save money – Physical damage coverage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered could be a windshield shattered by a rock, damage caused by hail, and windstorm damage. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Better credit means lower rates – Having a bad credit rating is a large factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. Therefore, if your credit can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
- Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Most insurers will give a discount to people who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s still a good idea to compare rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Comprehensive El Dorado Auto Insurance Comparison
Lowering your auto insurance rates doesn’t have to be difficult. Consumers just need to take a couple of minutes to get quotes from different insurance companies. This is very easy and can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- The recommended way consumers can analyze rates is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This method eliminates the need for separate forms for every auto insurance company. Just one form gets you coverage quotes .It’s the quickest way to get rates.
- A more time consuming way to analyze rates is spending the time to visit each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For instance, we’ll pretend you want rates from Liberty Mutual, Safeco and GEICO. To get each rate you have to go to every website and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular. For a handy list of car insurance company links in El Dorado, click here.
Whichever method you choose, ensure you’re using the exact same quote information with every price quote. If you compare different values for each quote then you won’t be able to truly determine the lowest rate in El Dorado.
Ads can be misleading
Kansas consumers constantly see and hear ads for cheaper car insurance by GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you move to their company.
How do they all make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.
All companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 40, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential insureds who fall outside this ideal profile will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. That’s why companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.
Because of the profiling, you need to get as many quotes as possible. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.
Save money by taking advantage of these discounts
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but a few need to be asked for before they will apply. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Payment Method – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- No Charge for an Accident – A few companies permit an accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
- Organization Discounts – Belonging to a qualifying organization may earn a discount on your policy.
- Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Bundle and Save – When you have multiple policies with the same company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
It’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But any discount will cut your overall premium however.
To choose insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in El Dorado, click here to view.
Much more information about auto insurance in Kansas is located on the Kansas Insurance Department website through this link. Visitors are able to find out industry alerts, learn about insurance regulations, discover disciplinary actions, and find out which companies have the most complaints.
More quotes mean more savings
When buying insurance coverage, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.
Insureds change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including poor customer service, questionable increases in premium, extreme rates for teen drivers or even being labeled a high risk driver. Regardless of your reason, finding a new company can be pretty painless.
Budget-conscious auto insurance can be sourced both online as well as from independent agents in El Dorado, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers don’t offer online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.