Wasting Money on Car Insurance in Castle Rock? Here’s How to Save!

Are you sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? You are no different than the majority of other car owners in Colorado. Numerous car insurance companies battle for your insurance dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a insurer to find the cheapest price

It’s important to shop coverage around before your policy renews because prices go up and down regularly. Just because you found the best rates last year you can probably find a lower rate today. Starting right now, block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the easiest way to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Discounts are basically free money

Companies that sell car insurance don’t list every discount very well, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the harder-to-find car insurance savings. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

• Driver’s Ed – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a course in driver safety can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
• Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts as compared to frequent claim filers.
• New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
• Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
• Bundle and Save – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
• Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your medical payments premium.
• Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than less cautious drivers.

It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck.

To choose providers with the best car insurance discounts in Castle Rock, click here to view.

How to Compare Castle Rock Car Insurance Rates

Getting a lower price on insurance is surprisingly easy. All that’s required is to spend a few minutes comparing rate quotes from different insurance companies. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

The easiest and least time consuming way to find the lowest comparison rates is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This easy form eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. One form gets you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies.

Another way to get comparison quotes requires you to visit each company’s website and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, let’s say you want to compare rates from GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to enter your coverage information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

For a list of links to insurance companies in Castle Rock, click here.

Whichever method you choose, double check that you are using apples-to-apples information on every quote. If each company quotes different limits and deductibles on each one it will be impossible to find the best deal in Castle Rock.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what influences your rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

• Where you live is a factor – Choosing to live in a rural area is a positive aspect when buying car insurance. Drivers in populated areas tend to have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate.
• Poor driving leads to higher costs – Just one moving violation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers who have severe citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
• Rate your vehicle for proper use – The more you drive every year the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers apply a rate based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Make sure your car insurance policy shows the correct driver usage.
• Liability coverage protects you – Liability coverage provides coverage if you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not cut corners here.
• Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are a ton of extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and motor club memberships are some examples. These coverages may sound good at first, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
• Your stress level may be raising your rates – Occupations such as lawyers, architects and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates because of high stress levels and long work days. Other occupations such as actors, historians and the unemployed pay the least.
• High deductibles save money – Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, or theft. The deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. The more money the insured has to pay upfront, the bigger discount you will receive.
• Battle of the sexes – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, don’t assume that women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes cause accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to receive more costly citations such as reckless driving.

Which insurance is the “right” coverage?

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions could help you determine whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

• Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
• Am I getting all the discounts available?
• Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
• Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
• Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
• Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
• Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
• Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
• What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?

If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

Can switching companies really save?

Consumers constantly see and hear ads for car insurance savings by companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all have a common claim of big savings if you switch to them.

How do they all make the same claim?

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save a lot of money.

Drivers who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile will be quoted a more expensive rate and this can result in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can state the savings. This emphasizes why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

One last thing about your coverage

Cost effective car insurance can be sourced both online and also from your neighborhood Castle Rock agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of tips how to lower your car insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.

For more Colorado car insurance information

More detailed Colorado car insurance information can be read at the Colorado DORA Division of Insurance website. Consumers can find a variety of consumer forms, file complaints about a company, and view agent and company licensing information.