Follow These Proven Tips for Cheaper Joplin, MO Car Insurance

Overwhelmed by the wide range of car insurance choices in Joplin? Lot’s of other consumers are too. You have so many options available that it can easily become a lot of work to compare prices.

It’s smart to price shop coverage quite often due to the fact that insurance rates trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the best rates a few years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance on the web, but with this article, you’re going to get some guaranteed methods to slash your car insurance rates.

Finding affordable coverage in Joplin is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use this information to cut your premiums while maintaining coverages. Missouri drivers just need to learn the best way to shop online.

Save big with these discounts

Car insurance companies do not advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the best known and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay much less when compared with frequent claim filers.
Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles can earn better rates on cars that stay parked.
Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
Accident Waiver – Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
Driver’s Ed – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Driver Safety – Taking a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

It’s important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Jobs such as real estate brokers, architects and financial analysts have higher average rates because of job stress and long work days. Conversely, occupations like pilots, engineers and homemakers get better rates.
Don’t sacrifice liability coverage – Liability insurance is the protection when you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Never go without insurance – Having an insurance coverage lapse is a sure-fire way to trigger a rate increase. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage might get you a license revocation or jail time.
Where you live can impact rates – Choosing to live in less populated areas can be a good thing when buying car insurance. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated Missouri areas tend to have much more traffic to deal with and much longer commute distances. Longer commute distances means more change of being in an accident.
Women pay lower rates – Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, don’t assume that women are better drivers. They both cause accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving.

Different people need different coverages

When it comes to choosing coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Every insured’s situation is different.

Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether you might need an agent’s assistance.

Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
What is the minimum liability in Missouri?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.

Quote online but work with a neighborhood agent

Certain consumers just want to talk to a local agent and that is just fine! Professional agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you can get better rates but still work with a licensed agent.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the quote information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in Joplin who will return price quotes to get your business. You won’t need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address. How’s that for easy! free Joplin MO insurance quote

Deciding on an insurance company requires more thought than just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions to ask:

How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
How often do they review policy coverages?
Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?

Joplin insurance agents come in two flavors

When researching a local agent, you need to know there are two different agency structures that you can select. Insurance agencies in Joplin can either be captive or independent (non-captive). Either one can insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the difference between them since it may influence your agent selection.

Agency Captives

This type of agents write business for a single company and examples are Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captive agencies are trained well on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage. Consumers frequently choose to use a captive agent partially due to loyalty to the company and solid financial strength.

Below are Joplin captive agencies that are able to give comparison quotes.

State Farm Insurance – 2606 E 32nd St – Joplin, MO 64804 – (417) 624-8443
Allstate Insurance – 705 Illinois Ave # 10 – Joplin, MO 64801 – (417) 624-4916
Shelter Insurance – 2002 S Wall Ave – Joplin, MO 64804 – (417) 626-8332
Farmers Insurance Group – 1321 Illinois Ave – Joplin, MO 64801 – (417) 623-4121
American Family Insurance – 1820 E 20th St # 5 – Joplin, MO 64804 – (417) 781-4211

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

These agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies and that require little work on your part. When comparison shopping, it’s recommended you include price quotes from multiple independent agents for the best price selection.Many can place coverage with lesser-known insurance companies who may have lower rates.

Shown below are Joplin independent insurance agents that can give you price quote information.

M A Beaver Agency Inc – 5643 N Main St – Joplin, MO 64801 – (417) 781-5533
Don Gould Agency – 1331 Illinois Ave # A – Joplin, MO 64801 – (417) 781-8368
Linda Teeter Agency – 1321 Illinois Ave – Joplin, MO 64801 – (417) 781-4820
Anderson Insurance – 2650 E 32nd St # 204 – Joplin, MO 64804 – (417) 624-9456
Regina M Townes Insurance Inc – 1940 E 20th St – Joplin, MO 64804 – (417) 782-6822

To view a complete directory of car insurance agents in Joplin, simply jump to this page.

After receiving positive responses to your questions and a good coverage price, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that can insure your vehicles.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Missouri drivers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads have a common claim of big savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How does each company say the same thing?

All companies have a preferred profile for the right customer they prefer to insure. A good example of a preferred risk might be a mature driver, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential customers who are not a match for the requirements will have to pay higher prices which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. This is how companies can make those claims. Because of the profiling, drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It’s not possible to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

More detailed Missouri car insurance information is available at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find disaster information, view agent and company licensing information, and find out industry alerts.

Compare but don’t skimp

When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don’t buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed full coverage and learned later that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Drivers change insurance companies for any number of reasons including questionable increases in premium, denial of a claim, not issuing a premium refund or even delays in paying claims. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching companies is not as difficult as it may seem.

Discount car insurance can be sourced online as well as from independent agents in Joplin, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.