Tightwads Instructions on Saving on Wilmington, NC Car Insurance

Sick and tired of paying out the nose to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are no different than many other drivers in North Carolina. Because there are so many insurance companies to choose from, it is very difficult to choose the most cost effective company.

It’s important to do rate comparisons every six months since rates go up and down regularly. Just because you found the best deal a year ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is too much inaccurate information about car insurance online, so we’re going to give you some solid techniques on how to stop overpaying for insurance.

Buying the lowest cost car insurance coverage in Wilmington can be fairly easy. If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you will benefit by learning to shop for the lowest rates while maintaining coverages. North Carolina vehicle owners just need to learn the most effective way to shop their coverage around online.

Automobile Insurance Quotes in Wilmington, North Carolina

Lowering your car insurance rates is a fairly straight forward process. You just need to invest a little time to get quotes from different insurance companies. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

One of the simplest ways to get quotes is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This method saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for each company. Filling out one form gets rate comparisons .
A slightly less efficient method to shop for car insurance online requires visiting each company website to complete a price quote. For instance, we’ll assume you want to compare GEICO, 21st Century and State Farm. To find out each rate you need to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Wilmington, click here.
The most time-consuming way of comparing rate quotes is to waste gas driving to and from local Wilmington insurance agencies. The internet can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you have a need for the personal advice of a licensed agent. Drivers can get prices online and still use a local agent. We’ll cover that shortly.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If you compare different values for each quote it will be impossible to determine the lowest rate in Wilmington.

Rate influencing factors

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Multi-policy discounts can save money – Some car insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it’s in your best interest to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal. Drivers may still find a better deal by buying car insurance from a different company.
Liability coverage is cheap – Your policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if a court rules you are at fault for damages caused by your negligence. It provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
How your age affects price – Teen drivers in North Carolina are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when driving so car insurance rates are higher. If you’ve ever had to add a teen driver to your car insurance policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
Better credit scores mean better rates – Having a bad credit score is a important factor in your rate calculation. If your credit is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your by improving your credit score. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with poor credit.
Where you live is a factor – Residing in a small town has it’s advantages when insuring your vehicles. Fewer drivers means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate. City drivers regularly have congested traffic and longer commute times. Higher commute times means more change of being in an accident.
Your spouse saves you money – Being married can actually save you money on your policy. Marriage means you’re more mature than a single person it has been statistically shown that married couples file fewer claims.
Too many car insurance claims drive up costs – Insurance companies in North Carolina give discounts to drivers who do not file claims often. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.

Discounts are great for lower rates

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically prior to receiving the credit. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.

One Accident Forgiven – Some insurance companies permit an accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
No Claims – Good drivers with no accidents pay much less as compared to bad drivers.
Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
Drivers Education – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
Distant Student – Kids in college who are attending college and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
Braking Control Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance.
Multiple Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
Own a Home – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.

Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Wilmington, click this link.

What coverages do I need?

When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions might point out whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.findnewcarinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-82.jpg" alt="Wilmington North Carolina insurance quotes” />

What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?
Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in North Carolina?
Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
What are North Carolina no-fault laws?
Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

Local Wilmington agents and car insurance

A small number of people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! Insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help you file claims. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is you may find better rates and still choose a local agent. Supporting small agencies is important particularly in Wilmington.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your information gets sent to local insurance agents who will return price quotes for your business. You never need to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy!

Wilmington insurance agencies are either independent or captive

If you’re trying to find an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple types of agencies from which to choose. Agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can do a good job, but it’s important to know the differences since it can impact buying decisions.

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the agent simply finds a different carrier without you having to go to a different agency. When comparison shopping, we recommend you get quotes from several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.

Shown below are independent agents in Wilmington willing to provide price quote information.

Schnitzer-Slate Agency Inc – 5725 Oleander Dr – Wilmington, NC 28403 – (910) 392-7020
Paul D Schnitzer Agency – 5725 Oleander Dr – Wilmington, NC 28403 – (910) 392-9945
Brad Sizemore Agency – 4922 Randall Pkwy # 1 – Wilmington, NC 28403 – (910) 791-1011
Bill Heinberg Insurance – 420 Orange St – Wilmington, NC 28401 – (910) 762-9304
Southern Insurance – 6109 Teal St – Wilmington, NC 28403 – (910) 799-1425

Agency Captives

These agents can only place business with one company and examples are AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance and Allstate. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which can be an advantage.

Listed below are Wilmington captive insurance agencies that can give you rate quotes.

Farm Bureau Insurance – 3534 S College Rd # B – Wilmington, NC 28412 – (910) 791-9669
Allstate Insurance – 2642 Carolina Beach Rd # 11 – Wilmington, NC 28412 – (910) 392-4260
State Farm Insurance – 7016 Market St # A – Wilmington, NC 28411 – (910) 686-1272

To view a complete directory of captive insurance agents in Wilmington, click here to link.

Picking an insurance agency needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Some important questions to ask are:

How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
Is assistance available after office hours?
Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
Are claims handled at the agent’s location?

Once you have received positive feedback to these questions and an acceptable price quote, most likely you have located an insurance agency that can properly service your car insurance policy.

Buy online or local, you save

Cheaper car insurance is attainable both online in addition to many Wilmington insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. A few companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

Additional consumer information websites

Additional car insurance information is located on the website for the North Carolina Department of Insurance through this link. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, download brochures, view agent and company licensing information, and find a variety of consumer forms.

Other useful links include this site for car insurance rates in North Carolina and this list of agents in Wilmington, NC.