Techniques for Lowering Your Eau Claire Auto Insurance Rates

Finding lower rates for Eau Claire auto insurance is nearly impossible for consumers not familiar with comparing rates online. You have so many options that it can easily become a challenge to find the best price in Eau Claire.

If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Buying cheaper auto insurance coverage in Eau Claire is simple if you know the tricks. Nevertheless, Wisconsin drivers do need to understand the methods companies use to compete online and apply this information to your search.

Comprehensive Eau Claire Auto Insurance Comparison

Performing a rate comparison can be challenging if you don’t understand the best way to get rate quotes. You could spend the better part of a day talking to insurance companies in Eau Claire, or you could use online quotes for quick rates.

Many popular insurance companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers complete one form, and each company provides a quote based on that information. This saves time by eliminating quote requests for every auto insurance company.

To participate in this free quote system, click here to start a free quote.

One minor caviat to doing it this way is buyers cannot specifically choose which insurance companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of low cost auto insurance companies in Wisconsin. Click here for list of insurance companies in Wisconsin.

However you get your quotes, compare identical deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If you use unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison in Eau Claire. Having just a slight variation in limits can make a big difference in price. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that having more price comparisons will enable you to find better pricing.

Save big with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list both the well known and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings.

Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give a break if you buy life insurance from them.
Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
Employee of Federal Government – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
New Car Discount – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you’re out of luck.

To choose providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Eau Claire, click this link.

Your local neighborhood insurance agent

Some people would prefer to talk to a local agent. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain better rates but still work with a licensed agent. car insurance image

Once you complete this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. Now that’s easy! You can find better rates AND an agent nearby.

Deciding on an insurer requires more thought than just a cheap price. Some important questions to ask are:

Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
Who are their largest clients?
Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?

Types of insurance agencies in Eau Claire

When searching for a reliable agent, there are a couple of different agency structures from which to choose. Agents are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive.

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agents are contracted to one company such as American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They generally cannot provide prices from multiple companies so always compare other rates. Captive agents are trained well in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage. Some consumers prefer to purchase coverage from captives mainly due to the brand legacy and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.

Listed below are Eau Claire captive insurance agents that are able to give price quotes.

State Farm Insurance – 4714 Commerce Valley Rd – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 834-2904
American Family Insurance – 1241 Menomonie St # A – Eau Claire, WI 54703 – (715) 839-8389
Farmers Insurance Group – 3321 Golf Rd – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 834-8123

Independent Agents

Independent agencies are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies and potentially find a lower price. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies and that require little work on your part. When comparing rates, it’s recommended you include several independent insurance agents to have the most options to choose from.Many can place coverage with smaller companies who may have lower rates.

Listed below are Eau Claire independent agents that can give you price quotes.

Burstad Insurance – – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 858-9035
John Killey Insurance Inc – 2115 E Clairemont Ave – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 836-9039
Daniel J Flynn Agency – 1903 Keith St # 2 – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 839-7346
Jackson Agency Inc – 615 S Barstow St – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 832-1674
Chumas Agency – 1812 Brackett Ave # 7 – Eau Claire, WI 54701 – (715) 835-3889

To view a full list of insurance agents in Eau Claire, please view this page.

Once you have reasonable responses to these questions and an affordable coverage quote, you’ve probably found an insurance agent that is a good match to provide auto insurance coverage.

Components of your insurance rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Clean credit earns discounts – A driver’s credit rating is a important factor in determining your rates. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers who have lower ratings. If your credit rating can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by repairing your credit.
Do you need those extra coverages? – There are a ton of add-on coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and term life insurance may be wasting your money. They may seem good at first, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
Pay less after the wedding – Having a spouse actually saves money on your auto insurance policy. Having a significant other means you’re more responsible and statistics show drivers who are married are more cautious.
Men pay higher rates – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both cause accidents at a similar rate, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
Optional equipment can affect rates – Driving a car with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder your car from being stolen.
Mature drivers pay less – Teenage drivers in Wisconsin have a tendency to get distracted easily behind the wheel so auto insurance rates are higher. Having to add a young driver onto your auto insurance can be very expensive. Older drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.

Advertising myths

State Farm and Allstate consistently run ads on television and other media. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you change to their company. How do they all claim to save you money?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that makes them money. A good example of a driver they prefer could be over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Potential insureds who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile must pay higher rates and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why it’s extremely important to get as many comparisons as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

What is YOUR best insurance company?

Insureds change insurance companies for many reasons like delays in paying claims, being labeled a high risk driver, high prices or even unfair underwriting practices. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

When shopping online for auto insurance, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. Too many times, someone dropped liability coverage limits and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

We’ve covered many tips how you can get a better price on auto insurance. The key concept to understand is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

More resources for learning

Even more information is located at the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find a variety of consumer forms, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and find out which companies have the most complaints.