Popular Techniques for Buying Mankato Minnesota Car Insurance Cheaper

Comparison shopping for Mankato car insurance can be a challenge for beginners to buying insurance online. Consumers have so many options available that it can easily become a ton of work to compare prices in Mankato.

It’s smart to do rate comparisons every six months because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price last year you can probably find a better price now. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance online, so with this article, you’re going to get some good information on how to slash your car insurance rates.

Components of your insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that help determine car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better car insurance rates.

Do you know your deductibles? – Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered would be collision with another vehicle, vandalism, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the bigger discount you will receive.
Do you need the policy add-ons? – There are a ton of extra coverages you can purchase on your car insurance policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and motor club memberships are some examples. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
Having a spouse can save you money – Being married helps lower the price on your policy. Having a significant other is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Mature drivers pay less – Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Young drivers have a tendency to be more careless in a vehicle and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Drive less and save money – The more miles you rack up on your car every year the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers rate vehicles based on how the vehicle is used. Autos used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your car insurance policy is rated on how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.

Cut your car insurance rates with discounts

Car insurance companies don’t always publicize every available discount very well, so we researched some of the best known and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using.

Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off with a few car insurance companies.
Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy on their website.
Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accidents.
Club Memberships – Participating in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Save with a New Car – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of more than 20%.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.

To see a list of insurance companies offering car insurance discounts in Minnesota, click this link.

Online quotes with a local Mankato insurance agent

Some people prefer to sit down with an agent and that is OK! One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates and still have an agent to talk to.

By using this simple form, your insurance data is transmitted to participating agents in Mankato who will battle for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to drive around due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier! You can find the lowest rates AND a local agent.

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

Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
Does the agency support the community they serve?
Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Minnesota?

Types of auto insurance agents in Mankato

When finding an insurance agent, there are two different agency structures to choose from. Mankato agents can either be independent (non-captive) or captive.

Captive Insurance Agents

These agents can only place business with one company and some examples include Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They generally cannot provide prices from multiple companies so keep that in mind. Captives receive extensive training on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers often choose to use a captive agent primarily because of high brand loyalty and strong financial ratings.

The following are Mankato captive insurance agents that are able to give price quote information.

Allstate Insurance – 117 E Hickory St # 101 – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 344-1980
Farmers Insurance Group – 821 N 2nd St # 201 – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 625-3306
State Farm Insurance – 1215 N Riverfront Dr # C – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 345-3606
American Family Insurance – 1207 Caledonia St – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 387-5555

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with lots of companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. When comparing rates, you should always include price quotes from at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.Most can insure with smaller companies which can save you money.

Shown below are Mankato independent insurance agencies willing to provide price quotes.

Matthew Barnes Agency – 710 S 2nd St – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 388-2968
Willard and Williams Insurance – 220 E Jackson St – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 345-4587
Matthew Barnes Agency – 1400 E Madison Ave # 322 – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 388-2968
Mc Clure Insurance – 325 N Riverfront Dr – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 345-4747
Peterson Agency – 908 N 2nd St – Mankato, MN 56001 – (507) 345-1122

For a complete listing of insurance agents in Mankato, view this link.

Upon receiving acceptable answers and an affordable coverage quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that is a good match to provide car insurance coverage.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Progressive, Allstate and GEICO regularly use ads on television and other media. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you move your policy. How do they all make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be between 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has excellent credit. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who are not a match for these standards must pay a more expensive rate which leads to business not being written. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. This illustrates why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It’s impossible to know which company will have the lowest rates.

More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, learn about specific coverages, report car insurance fraud, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

What is YOUR best insurance company?

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the best prices are with a lesser-known regional company.

Insureds change insurance companies for many reasons like delays in responding to claim requests, lack of trust in their agent, policy non-renewal and being labeled a high risk driver. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.