Follow These Ultimate Techniques for Saving Money on Birmingham, AL Car Insurance

Finding lower rates for Birmingham car insurance can seem to be challenging for consumers new to shopping for insurance online. Consumers have so many choices that it can quickly become a challenge to find lower rates in Birmingham.

It’s a great practice to shop coverage around quite often because insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you got the best rates a year ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the easiest ways to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to reduce the price you pay and still get good coverage. The purpose of this post is to familiarize you with the most effective way to quote insurance. Alabama drivers just need to learn the most effective way to get comparison quotes online.

These discounts can slash car insurance rates

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the best known and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
Paperwork-free – Certain companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
Organization Discounts – Belonging to a qualifying organization may earn a discount when buying car insurance.
One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
Defensive Driving Course – Taking a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
Resident Student – Children who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.

Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky.

For a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Alabama, click here to view.

How to Compare Car Insurance in Birmingham

Getting a lower price on insurance is actually quite simple. Consumers just need to take a couple of minutes to compare rate quotes online with multiple companies. This can be done in several different ways. Alabama insurance comparisons

The recommended way to get the best comparison quotes is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This easy form keeps you from doing repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company. One quote request will get you price quotes from multiple companies. Recommended for those who want to invest the least amount of time.
A more time consuming way to find lower rates requires you to visit each company website and complete a new quote form. For instance, let’s say you want to compare rates from State Farm, Liberty Mutual and GEICO. You would have to go to every website and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Birmingham, click here.

Whichever method you choose, compare apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits with every price quote. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits you will not be able to make a fair comparison in Birmingham.

Components of your insurance rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to better car insurance rates.

The following are a few of the “ingredients” that factor into prices.

Careful drivers pay lower rates – Your driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Even a single moving violation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who get dangerous violations like DUI or reckless driving may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
High performance equals high price – The make and model of the vehicle you own makes a substantial difference in determining your rates. Economy passenger cars usually have the lowest rates, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
Where you live can impact rates – Residing in less populated areas can save you money when talking about car insurance. Urban drivers have to deal with traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Fewer people means a lower chance of having an accident as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
Theft deterrents lower rates – Owning a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent your car from being stolen.
Liability coverage is cheap – Liability coverage is the protection in the event that you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It will provide for a legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not cut corners here.
Poor credit can mean higher rates – Having a bad credit history is a big factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit score is not that good, you could pay less to insure your by improving your credit score. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower credit scores.
Pay less if you’re married – Being married helps lower the price on your policy. Marriage usually means you are more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.

When might I need the advice of an agent?

When buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique.

For example, these questions may help highlight whether you would benefit from professional advice.

Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
Do I need rental car coverage?
Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
Who is covered by my policy?
Is my custom paint covered by insurance?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.

A little work can save a LOT of money

As you prepare to switch companies, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where an insured cut liability coverage limits and discovered at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

In this article, we presented a lot of information how to get a better price on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a lesser-known regional company.

Low-cost car insurance is attainable from both online companies in addition to many Birmingham insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not provide online quoting and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Consumer car insurance information in Alabama

More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Alabama Department of Insurance website. Alabama drivers can learn about insurance regulations, get help finding coverage, find out which companies have the most complaints, and file complaints about a company.