Uncover Proven Techniques to Save on Minot Auto Insurance

Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can overdraw your checking account and put a big crunch on your finances. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to help make ends meet. Multiple car insurance companies compete to insure your vehicles, so it can be very hard to choose a company and uncover the absolute lowest cost out there.

You need to do rate comparisons at least once a year since rates change quite often. If you had the best price last year other companies may now be cheaper. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re about to learn one of the easiest ways to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.

Learn How to Lower your Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that play a part in calculating your auto insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Poor driving leads to higher costs – Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Only having one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers have lower premiums than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers with severe tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
High credit ratings translate to low rates – Your credit history is a big factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. So if your credit score is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with good credit tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with lower credit scores.
Lower rates with optional equipment – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent auto theft.
No coverage gaps is important – Driving your car without having proper coverage can get your license suspended and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your coverage have a gap. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage can result in a revoked license or a big fine.
Drive less and save money – The more miles you rack up on your car every year the higher your rate. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Cars used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your auto insurance policy is rated on how each vehicle is driven.
Performance makes a difference – The make and model of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a significant difference in your rates. Low performance passenger cars generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
Little extras can really add up – There are quite a few add-on coverages that you can buy on your policy. Coverages like rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and motor club memberships are some examples. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them get rid of them and save.

How to Compare Minot Auto Insurance Rates

Finding a better price on auto insurance is not a difficult process. The only thing you need to do is spend a few minutes to compare quotes online with multiple companies. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

Probably the best way to compare a lot of rates at once 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 auto insurance company. One form will return quotes direct from many companies.
A harder way to analyze rates requires a trip to each company website to request a price quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and GMAC. You would have to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker.
To view a list of companies in Minot, click here.
The hardest way of comparing rate quotes is to waste gas driving to insurance agents’ offices. Shopping for auto insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you prefer the professional advice that only a license agent can provide. Drivers can comparison shop online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll cover that in a bit.

Whichever method you choose, double check that you are using exactly the same coverage information with each company. If each company quotes different liability limits it will be impossible to determine the best price in Minot.

Can you really save $436 a year?

North Dakota consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings from the likes of Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make an identical promise that you’ll save big after switching your coverage to them.

How do they all make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a driver they prefer might be between 30 and 50, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. A customer who fits that profile receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Drivers who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile must pay more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings. This illustrates why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. Because you never know the company that will have the lowest rates.

Don’t overlook these discounts

Car insurance companies don’t always advertise every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the more common and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Good Student – A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Military Discounts – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
Driver Safety – Completing a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
Multiple Vehicles – Insuring multiple vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
Paperless Signup – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application over the internet.
Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less compared to drivers who are more careless.
Discount for Swiching Early – Some companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive better auto insurance rates.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

Online quotes with a local Minot insurance agent

Some people would prefer to sit down with an agent and that is just fine! Good agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is you may find lower rates and still have an agent to talk to. North Dakota auto insurance

To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, your insurance data is sent to insurance agents in Minot who will return price quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier!

Picking an provider requires more thought than just the premium amount. Here are some questions to ask:

Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in North Dakota?
Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
How long has their agency been in business in Minot?

Compare rates from both independent and captive auto insurance agents

When searching for an insurance agent, there are a couple of different agency structures to choose from. Agents are classified as either captive or independent. While both can do a good job, but it’s worth learning the differences since it can impact your selection of an agent.

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agents work for only one company and examples are Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so they have no alternatives for high prices. They receive extensive training on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage.

Listed below is a short list of captive agents in Minot that can give you price quotes.

Farmers Insurance Group – 811 S Broadway – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 852-4434
Allstate Insurance – 1317 S Broadway – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 838-2100
State Farm Insurance – 816 31st Ave SW – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 838-4919
American Family Insurance – 1809 S Broadway # X – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 852-5940

Independent Agents

Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, an independent agent can move your coverage and you won’t have to switch agencies.

When comparison shopping, we recommend you include price quotes from multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.

The following is a short list of independent agents in Minot that are able to give comparison quotes.

Humphreys Insurance and Surety – 415 20th Ave SW – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 852-1093
Western Agency Group – 408 20th Ave SW # 101 – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 852-5383
Western Agency – 408 20th Ave SW # 101 – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 463-2253
Kellie Thorman Insurance – 515 20th Ave SE # 7 – Minot, ND 58701 – (701) 839-4999

To view a complete directory of Minot insurance agents, please view this page.

After receiving answers to your satisfaction in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s possible that you found a car insurance agent that will insure your vehicles.

Don’t assume everyone needs the same coverage

When choosing the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions might help in determining whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Minot?
Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in North Dakota?
Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Even more information is available at the North Dakota Insurance Department website. North Dakota consumers can learn about insurance regulations, download brochures, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and find disaster information.

Additional helpful sites include this page for North Dakota auto insurance and this link where you can get more info about Minot auto insurance.

In conclusion

While you’re price shopping online, do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Cheaper auto insurance can be bought online as well as from independent agents in Minot, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies don’t offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we covered many ways to get a better price on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small local company. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.