Little Known Techniques to Saving Money on Montgomery, AL Car Insurance

Purchasing the cheapest Montgomery car insurance online can seem to be rather challenging for beginners to shopping for insurance online. With so many choices of online companies, how can consumers possibly compare the different rates to find the best available price?

Consumers need to compare rates yearly since rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates a few years ago there may be better deals available now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to find out one of the easiest ways to buy cheaper car insurance.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. The purpose of this article is to teach you how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. Although Alabama car owners do need to know the methods companies use to price online insurance and apply this information to your search.

Smart Consumers Save More

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces that factor into premiums.

Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
Do you know your deductibles? – Physical damage coverage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be collision with another vehicle, vandalism, or theft. The deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. The more expense you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
Performance influences rates – The performance level of the car you are insuring makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. The lowest rates are usually for low performance passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
With age comes lower rates – Youthful drivers in Alabama tend to be more careless when driving so car insurance rates are higher. Adding a youthful driver to your car insurance policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

The are a couple different ways to get quotes from local in Montgomery, ALcar insurance companies. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates is to perform an online rate comparison. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.

The recommended way consumers can analyze rates is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This method keeps you from doing separate quote forms for every car insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form will get you rate comparisons from multiple companies. Just one form and you’re done.
A more difficult way to shop for car insurance online is spending the time to visit the website for each individual company and request a quote. For instance, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Nationwide, 21st Century and GMAC. You would have to visit each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular.
To view a list of companies in Montgomery, click here.
The hardest method of getting rate comparisons is to waste gas driving to different Montgomery agent offices. The ability to buy insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you want the personal advice of a licensed agent. However, consumers can comparison shop your insurance online and get advice from an agent in your area. We’ll cover that shortly.

It’s up to you which method you use, but double check that you are using exactly the same coverage limits for each price quote. If you use different liability limits it will be very difficult to determine the best price in Montgomery. Having just a slight variation in coverages may cause a big price difference. Just remember that having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting the best rates.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance providers like Allstate and Progressive consistently run television and radio advertisements. They all say the same thing that you’ll save big if you change your policy. How can each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, owns a home, and has great credit. Any driver who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who fall outside this ideal profile must pay a higher premium and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know the company that will have the lowest rates.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies don’t always advertise every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list some of the more common and the harder-to-find car insurance savings.

Multiple Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
Drivers Ed for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can get savings of more than 20%.
Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for better car insurance rates.
Driver Safety – Successfully completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
Military Discounts – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. lower rates in Montgomery Alabama

But don’t I need an insurance agent?

A small number of people would rather sit down with an agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain the best rates but also keep your business local.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your coverage information is emailed to companies in Montgomery who will compete for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go straight to your inbox. How’s that for easy! It’s the lowest rates AND an agent nearby.

Deciding on an insurer shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
How are they compensated?
Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Alabama?
Will your rates increase after a single accident?
How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?

Multiple types of insurance agents in Montgomery

When researching local Montgomery agents, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents to choose from. Agencies in Montgomery can either be independent or captive.

Agency Captives

These agents write business for a single company like State Farm, AAA and Liberty Mutual. They usually cannot place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. Captives are trained well on the products they sell which can be an advantage. Consumers sometimes buy from captive agents primarily because of high brand loyalty and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

Shown below are captive agents in Montgomery that can give you comparison quotes.

Farm Bureau Insurance – 2571 Bell Rd – Montgomery, AL 36117 – (334) 270-8585
Farmers Insurance Group – 3089 Carter Hill Rd – Montgomery, AL 36111 – (334) 262-2277
Liberty Mutual – 2367 Central Pkwy – Montgomery, AL 36106 – (334) 213-0651
Allstate Insurance – 5141 Atlanta Hwy – Montgomery, AL 36109 – (334) 270-1000
State Farm Insurance – 61 Market Pl # A – Montgomery, AL 36117 – (334) 272-8423

Independent Agents

Independent agencies are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency. When shopping rates, we recommend you get quotes from several independent insurance agents to have the most options to choose from. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller regional carriers which can save you money.

Below are Montgomery independent agents that are able to give comparison quotes.

Don Williams Insurance – 2430 Fairlane Dr – Montgomery, AL 36116 – (334) 260-8829
Anchor Managing General Agency – 8104 Seaton Pl – Montgomery, AL 36116 – (334) 213-5678
Pinckard Agency Of Montgomery – 5303 Vaughn Rd – Montgomery, AL 36116 – (334) 244-7000
Gulf Agency Inc – 4217 Lomac St – Montgomery, AL 36106 – (334) 277-6014
Acceptance Insurance Co – 428 Twain Curv – Montgomery, AL 36117 – (334) 288-8787

For a complete listing of Montgomery insurance agents, simply jump to this page.

After receiving acceptable answers for all questions you ask in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that can provide car insurance coverage.

When might I need help?

When buying coverage, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if you will benefit from professional help.

Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Even more information can be read at the Alabama Department of Insurance website. Alabama consumers can read industry bulletins, learn about specific coverages, read consumer alerts, and discover disciplinary actions.

Also read more on NAIC.org’s Understanding your Policy and this page of insurance agents in Montgomery.

In conclusion

Budget-conscious car insurance is available online in addition to many Montgomery insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

In this article, we covered many ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies.

Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, delays in paying claims, high prices and denial of a claim. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding the right car insurance provider is not as difficult as it may seem.