Haverhill, MA Car Insurance Buying Tips You Aren’t Supposed to Know

Are you a victim of overpriced car insurance? Trust us, many consumers are feeling buyer’s remorse and feel like there’s no way out.

Drivers have multiple insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, it can be more challenging to compare rates.

Smart consumers take time to compare prices once or twice a year because rates change regularly. If you had the best price a few years ago you can probably find a better price now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to find out how to use the internet to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.

Why you might pay higher rates in Haverhill

It’s important that you understand the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.

• Big city or small town – Residing in small towns and rural areas can save you money when insuring your vehicles. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. City drivers regularly have traffic congestion and longer commute times. Higher commute times means more change of being in an accident.
• Low deductibles can be expensive – Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and burglary. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. The more money you’re willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
• Better credit means lower rates – Having a bad credit rating is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit. So if your credit history can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
• Lower rates with optional equipment – Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
• Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Occupations such as judges, social workers and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates in part from stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs such as scientists, engineers and retirees pay the least.
• Males pay more for insurance – Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both have accidents at a similar rate, but men cause more damage. Men also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
• Consolidate policies to earn discounts – The majority of insurance companies provide better rates to policyholders who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to compare rates to verify if the discount is saving money.

Cut your premium with discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but a few need to be inquired about in order for you to get them.

• Multi-car Discount – Having more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
• Safe Driver Discount – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.
• Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
• Life Insurance Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
• Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But any discount will reduce the cost of coverage.

But buying car insurance online seems impersonal

Some consumers would prefer to talk to a local agent and that is just fine! One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is you may find better rates but also keep your business local. Supporting local insurance agencies is important particularly in Haverhill.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to companies in Haverhill who will return price quotes for your coverage. You never need to even leave your home since price quotes are sent to your email. Now that’s easy! It’s the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.

Captive or Independent: There is a difference

When searching for a good Haverhill insurance agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agencies in Haverhill are either captive or independent.

Independent Agents

These agents are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally without you having to go to a different agency. When comparing rates, it’s recommended you contact multiple independent agents for the best price selection.

Below is a short list of independent agencies in Haverhill that may be able to provide rate quotes.

William C Sullivan Insurance – 487 Groveland St – Haverhill, MA 01830 – (978) 372-2790
Cowan Insurance – 359 Main St – Haverhill, MA 01830 – (978) 372-1451

Agency Captives

Captive agencies have only one company to place business with like State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. These agents are unable to shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They receive extensive training on the products they sell which can be an advantage.

Deciding on an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. These questions are important to ask:

• Who are their largest clients?
• Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
• Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
• Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
• If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?

Once you have acceptable answers for all questions you ask and a low price estimate, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to provide car insurance coverage.

Beware of misleading car insurance ads

Car insurance providers like Allstate and Progressive continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all make an identical promise of big savings after switching to them. How can each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer they prefer to insure. A good example of a driver they prefer might be over the age of 50, owns a home, and has great credit. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile will be charged higher premiums and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

That is why you should get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Informative consumer insurance sites

Much more information about car insurance in Massachusetts can be found on the website for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance through this link. Consumers can find out industry alerts, get help finding coverage, read industry bulletins, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Final considerations

Cheap car insurance is possible from both online companies and with local Haverhill insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies do not offer online quoting and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

We just presented a lot of information how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like Progressive and GEICO.