If you go online or call up an agent for auto insurance coverage, after you provide year, make, and model details, and answer a few more questions, you’ll get a car insurance rate quote. Easy, right?
But if you’re a savvy shopper, you’ll see that quote as merely a starting point. Then you’ll ask about the discount auto insurance programs that can whittle that cost down. Sometimes considerably.
But which auto insurance discounts and buying strategies are right for you? That can depend on many factors, including whether you’re shopping just for your own coverage or for others, the number of cars in your family “fleet,” other insurance plans you carry, and whether you have young drivers on your policies…
In other words, not every discount insurance deal fits every customer’s need. But it’s often possible to take advantage of one — or several — deals to see considerable savings. Here are six (6) of our favorite auto insurance discounts worth asking your insurance agent about:
1. Take Multiple-Vehicle Insurance Discounts
Are you already insuring other cars? Who is your current carrier? Just like most sales professionals in other business categories, your insurance agent wants to deal in volume. It’s easier and cheaper to make multiple sales to an existing customer than to find a new one. For that reason, your agent is well motivated to offer you special savings on a multi-car policy.
Disregard this advice if you’re not happy with your existing auto insurance policy or the customer service you’ve received. If that’s the case, think of your current needs as a good opportunity to start a fresh insurer relationship or to shop around and compare car insurance.
2. Bundle Your Policies
Chances are, you’re no rookie at buying insurance. Even if you don’t have other vehicles under coverage, you likely have homeowners or renters insurance, maybe a life insurance policy or coverage for your business.
Tell your car insurance agent about these other policies. It’s possible that you’ll earn special savings on your new plan by bundling your car insurance with other policies from a carrier of multiple lines of insurance.
3. Check Out Good Grade or Good Student Insurance Discounts
You might experience a bit of sticker shock at seeing the cost of young driver car insurance in your family. That’s because new motorists tend to drive less safely, earn more moving violations, and get into more accidents than older and more experienced drivers.
There’s possible rate relief if your high school or college student gets good grades. That’s because many insurers recognize that good students also tend to be more responsible drivers. Your insurance agent should be able to help you find good grade discounts or good student discounts for your young driver. Combine these savings with bundling or multiple-vehicle discounts, and you could see a considerably lower insurance rate.
4. Reduce Your Mileage
Drive less, pay less. Drivers who put fewer miles on their vehicles have a lower overall risk of getting into an accident since they’re on the road less. Can you realistically reduce your car use? Take public transportation more often? Or maybe, like many of us, you’re doing less commuting to your job and working from home more often.
See if events of the last couple of years have changed your driving patterns. If so, tell your insurance agent and see if the change can result in lower rates.
5. Install Anti-Theft Devices
Protecting your car from theft represents possible savings to your insurance carrier. Many auto insurers have programs in which the installation of certain anti-theft devices will be rewarded with lower rates. Ask your insurance agent to investigate auto insurance discounts based on this strategy.
6. Do Business with an Independent Insurance Agent
If you seek auto insurance discounts from an agent from XYZ Insurance Company, your agent can only sell you whatever XYZ has to offer. An independent insurance agent, on the other hand, represents several major insurance carriers and multiple lines of coverage — not just car insurance.
That gives your independent insurance agent more places to look for discounts that can offer you true savings based on your family structure and your other unique lifestyle and car use characteristics. Just explain your circumstances and let your agent go shopping for the best deals on the market.
Find Discounts on Affordable Car Insurance Online Today?
Contact your independent insurance agent at Freeway Insurance. Call us up at (800) 777-5620, go online for a quote, or find a Freeway office near you. However you reach us, we’ll show you discount insurance quotes and other ways to bring down the cost of your car insurance without sacrificing quality.
