Tightwads Guide to Saving on Elyria Auto Insurance
Are you tired of being strong-armed to pay your car insurance bill each month? Your situation is no different than many other Ohio consumers. Drivers have multiple insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and even though it’s nice to have multiple companies, having more car insurance companies makes it harder to find the best rates.
It’s a good idea to compare rates yearly because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates a few years ago a different company probably has better rates today. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the right way to remove unneeded coverages and save money.
Finding the best rates in Elyria is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to save some money using these tips. Ohio drivers just need to learn how to shop on the web.
Elyria Rates are Influenced by These Factors
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that will entitle you to big savings.
The following are a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting prices.
- Men fork out a little more – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, don’t assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women cause accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI.
- Rate your vehicle for proper use – Driving more miles in a year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Autos not used for work or commuting receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Ask your agent if your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Mature drivers pay less – Older insureds tend to be more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be more careless when behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores can get you lower premiums. Safer cars protect occupants better and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
- Your location is important – Choosing to live in a small town has it’s advantages when insuring your vehicles. Fewer drivers means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated Ohio areas regularly have congested traffic and a longer drive to work. Higher commute times means higher likelihood of an accident.
- Don’t sacrifice liability coverage – Liability insurance is the coverage that protects you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides legal defense coverage up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Poor driving leads to higher costs – A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don’t get tickets have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Even a single moving violation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. If you have dangerous violations such as DUI or reckless driving may find they need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
- How credit affects auto insurance rates – A driver’s credit history is a important factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit is not that good, you could save money insuring your by repairing your credit. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit scores.
Discounts are available to cut your rates
Auto insurance companies do not advertise every discount very clearly, so the following is a list of both well-publicized as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using. If you’re not getting every credit available, you are throwing money away.
- Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Paperless Signup – Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy digitally online.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with a few auto insurance companies.
- Military Rewards – Being on active duty in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Club Memberships – Belonging to certain professional organizations could trigger savings on auto insurance.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.
To choose providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Ohio, follow this link.
Compare online but buy from a local Elyria agent
Some people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is a personal choice. Licensed agents can help determine the best coverages and give you peace of mind. One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find better rates and still have an agent to talk to.
By using this simple form, your information gets sent to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. There is no need to leave your computer due to the fact that quote results will go immediately to your email address. How cool is that?!
Choosing an insurer shouldn’t rely on just the price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- How long has their agency been in business in Elyria?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
Captive agents vs. Independent agents
When finding local Elyria agents, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents to choose from. Agencies in Elyria are categorized either independent or captive. Either one can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning the differences because it can influence the selection process.
Agency Captives
This type of agents write business for a single company such as Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. Captives cannot shop your coverage around so keep that in mind. They are well schooled on the products they sell which can be an advantage.
Below is a short list of captive agents in Elyria that are able to give price quotes.
Allstate Insurance – 815 Lake Ave – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 322-6881
American Family Insurance – 42064 Helen St – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 324-2132
State Farm Insurance – 445 Griswold Rd # A – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 324-2552
Independent Agents
These agents are not required to write business for one company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies and potentially find a lower price. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparison shopping, it’s recommended you include price quotes from at least one independent agent to have the most options to choose from.
Listed below are Elyria independent insurance agencies that can give you price quote information.
All-Drivers Agency – 580 Cleveland St – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 366-6440
Jon Sockel Insurance – 6850 Lake Ave – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 324-4646
Ray Gossman Insurance – 500 E Broad St – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 323-7911
Sommers Agency Inc – 42815 N Ridge Rd – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 233-7131
Saint Marie Agency Inc – 208 Cleveland St – Elyria, OH 44035 – (440) 365-9313
For a full directory of licensed insurance agents in Elyria, visit this site.
Once you have received reasonable responses to these questions and locked in a price quote, chances are good that you have found a car insurance agent that can adequately provide auto insurance.
Car insurance is unique, just like you
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether or not you will benefit from professional help.
- When would I need additional glass coverage?
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Ohio?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Learn more about Ohio auto insurance
More tips and info about auto insurance is located at the Ohio Department of Insurance website. Ohio drivers can find out industry alerts, read state legal mandates and laws, view a list of available companies, and report car insurance fraud.
The following information may also be useful.
Online plus local equals savings
When trying to cut insurance costs, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.
Throughout this article, we presented many ways to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the best prices are with the smaller companies. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like Progressive and GEICO.