6 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance in Westerly

People new to comparing rates online might discover buying the cheapest Westerly auto insurance is harder than they anticipated.

You should make it a habit to price shop coverage before your policy renews since rates tend to go up over time. Even if you got the best price on your last policy you can probably find a better price now. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because we’re going to show you how to use the internet to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

This information will instruct you on the best way to quote coverages and some money-saving tips. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Although Rhode Island car owners must comprehend how the larger insurance companies price online insurance.

Auto Insurance Comparison Rates in Westerly, RI

There are a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices but some are easier and takes less work. You could spend the better part of a day driving to insurance companies in Westerly, or you can stay home and use the internet to get pricing more quickly.

Most car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to enter their coverage request one time, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to every company.

To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.

The one downside to using this type of system is you don’t know exactly the companies you want to price. If you would rather choose individual companies to compare, we have a page of companies who write auto insurance in Rhode Island. View list of Rhode Island insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits for each price quote. If you are comparing different values for each quote you will not be able to determine the lowest rate in Westerly. Just a small difference in coverages may cause a big price difference. And when price shopping your coverage, quoting more helps locate the best rates.

Don’t overlook these six discounts

Car insurance can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically when you purchase, but some must be asked about before being credited.

• Good Student – This discount can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
• 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get better auto insurance rates.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child take driver’s ed class in high school.
• Auto/Life Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out life insurance.
• Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky. Any amount of discount will help reduce your premiums.

What if I want to buy from a local Westerly agent?

Certain consumers prefer to buy from a local agent. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is the fact that you can find lower rates but still work with a licensed agent. Buying from local insurance agencies is especially important in Westerly.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the quote information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will battle for your insurance coverage. You never need to leave your house since price quotes are sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to work with.

The type of insurance agency you choose is important

When searching for local Westerly agents, there are a couple of types of insurance agents to choose from. Insurance agencies in Westerly are classified as either captive or independent.

Independent Agencies or Brokers

These agents do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If your agent finds better pricing, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When comparison shopping, we recommend you get quotes from several independent insurance agents for the best price selection. Most have the option of insuring with different regional companies which can be an advantage.

Listed below are Westerly independent insurance agencies that may be able to provide price quote information.

• Schonning Insurance – 90 Airport Rd – Westerly, RI 02891 – (401) 348-2000
• Burns Insurance Svc – 8 Terrapat Dr – Westerly, RI 02891 – (401) 440-1875

Agency Captives

Captive agencies work for only one company like Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. They are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. These agents are trained well on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage. Consumers often buy insurance from these agents primarily because of high brand loyalty and solid financial strength.

Below are captive agencies in Westerly that can give you price quotes.

• Allstate Insurance Co – 105 Franklin St – Westerly, RI 02891 – (401) 596-7770

For a full directory of captive agents in Westerly, please view this page.

Deciding on an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. These are valid questions to ask:

• Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
• How often do they review policy coverages?
• Which company do they place the most coverage with?
• Are they full-time agents?
• If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?

Once you have answers to your satisfaction and a low price estimate, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that will insure your vehicles.

Coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as crashing into a ditch, sustaining damage from a pot hole, rolling your car and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Auto liability insurance

This coverage will cover damage that occurs to other people or property. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like repair costs for stationary objects, structural damage, emergency aid and medical expenses. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Rhode Island requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying higher limits.

Comprehensive protection

This covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like falling objects, fire damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from flooding and hitting a bird. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since many Rhode Island drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Medical expense coverage

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for bills for pain medications, nursing services and ambulance fees. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Much more information about auto insurance in Rhode Island is located on the Rhode Island Division of Insurance Regulation website through this link. Visitors are able to download brochures, find disaster information, and file complaints about a company.

Additional helpful sites include BankRate.com’s Car Insurance: When not to Skimp and this link which helps you find a Westerly agent.

A little work can save a LOT of money

You just learned some good ideas how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the biggest savings come from the smaller companies.

Lower-priced auto insurance can be found from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Westerly, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some auto insurance companies don’t offer online quoting and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

When buying insurance coverage, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured cut physical damage coverage only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your strategy should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.