Buy South Jordan, UT Car Insurance Like a Penny-pincher

Are you sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money to pay your car insurance bill each month? You’re in the same situation as the majority of other car owners in Utah. Companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm all promote huge savings with fancy advertisements and it can be hard to see past the corporate glitz and take the time to shop coverage around.

It’s a great practice to take a look at other company’s rates periodically because rates are variable and change quite frequently. Just because you had the lowest rates last year there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the best way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

Save Money with These Tips

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better car insurance rates.

Shown below are some of the items companies use to determine your rates.

• High credit ratings translate to low rates – Credit rating is a huge factor in your rate calculation. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower credit scores. Therefore, if your credit history can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
• Liability coverage is cheap – Liability insurance is the coverage that protects you if a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide you with a defense in court starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
• How your age affects price – Older drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations. Teenage drivers are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted behind the wheel and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
• Men pay higher rates – Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men are in accidents in similar percentages, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list all available discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both the well known as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
• New Car Discount – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
• Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up to age 25.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Senior Discount – Older drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.
• One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Safety Course Discount – Taking a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
• Employee of Federal Government – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.

It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

To see a list of insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts in Utah, click here.

Do car insurance companies bend the truth?

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads for cheaper car insurance by companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. All the companies make an identical promise that you’ll save big after switching to them.

How can each company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies have a preferred profile for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who do not match the requirements will be charged a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. This is how insurance companies can advertise the savings. That is why drivers should compare as many rates as you can. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

To learn more about car insurance in Utah

Additional detailed information is available at the Utah Insurance Department website. Consumers can read industry bulletins, find disaster information, and read state legal mandates and laws.

One last thing about your coverage

Low-cost car insurance can be bought on the web and also from your neighborhood South Jordan agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies may not provide online quoting and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, an insured dropped liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

We just showed you some good ideas how to save on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the best prices are with a small local company. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.