News flash: you aren’t married to your auto insurance company! Yeah, your agent sends you (personalized!) holiday cards, and always remembers to ask about your son’s baseball season. You feel like you’re cheating if you dare check around to see if you are getting the most coverage for the best price. Well, lose the guilt friends because your loyalty could be costing you hard-earned money. Even if you are comfortable with your auto policy as it is; at the very least, shopping around lets you know your options. What if there’s something even better out there? Here’s why getting different auto quotes to compare to your current premium is the number one way you can save money on car insurance:
(TIP: To get the lowest rates, use our quick online form to compare multiple quotes in minutes.)
1. Changes in Circumstance
There are very few things in life that aren’t affected by change at some point or another. Some changes are better and easier than others, but the fact remains: things change. Just as your lifestyle changes, so does your auto insurance needs. A huge mistake that people commonly make is to just sign your auto insurance renewal without a second glance at the coverage. Before you know it, you’ve signed 3 years worth of renewals on policies that no longer apply to your life circumstances. If you take the time to review your current auto insurance policy, you may want coverage now that you didn’t need or have the last time you updated your policy. Or, you may not need as much coverage as you did when you were just out of college. Why pay for something you don’t need? A simple yet common lifestyle change is driving less. If your annual mileage has taken a significant cut, you may be eligible for a discount on your auto insurance premium.
2. A Better Driving Record
Maybe you’re fairly young and needed a few years under your belt to prove you’re a safe driver. Or, perhaps you fall into the common category with those of us who have gotten the occasional speeding ticket or two (oops). And accidents? They happen. Oftentimes, things like fender benders and tickets will cause a spike if your auto insurance rate. Once you are established as a safe driver, your rates will go down and you may be eligible for discounts or other perks as incentive to keep that squeaky clean driving record. It’s a great idea to shop around if you’ve recently cleaned up your driving record; if you haven’t had any violations in about three years or more, you are probably eligible for a very low auto insurance premium.
3. Better Credit
We all know that your driving record plays a huge role in the cost of your auto insurance, but most people forget that your credit score matters, too. Let’s face it, times have been tough all over in the past 5 or so years. Maybe a few years ago you couldn’t always pay your bills on time or were forced to file bankruptcy like millions of others. However, many people are starting to pull themselves out of the financial rut and if you’ve been steadily building back your credit, it’s time to shop around for an auto insurance policy! It’s also important to make your current agent aware of the boost in your score, so that you are getting an accurate quote and rate from them for comparison.
4. Better Rates
If you don’t shop around, how will you know if there isn’t a better or cheaper policy somewhere? Shopping around is a great way to find out what other insurers are offering for essentially the same type of auto insurance policy. A few online searches (example: affordable auto insurance quotes) can yield surprising savings. Many insurance companies will allow you to put your info in online for a free quote without having the pressure of a real-life agent in the picture. You may find another insurer is willing to give you more discounts or customer support as well, or that you are more comfortable with another agent. You won’t know until you try. The worst that can happen is that you find out that you are already getting the best rate possible, and at the end of the day that’s a win in itself.
5. Age: It Matters!
Don’t let too many birthdays pass by without checking to see if you qualify for lower auto insurance based on age alone. Drivers under 25 years of age are typically considered to be a greater liability, which can equal a higher rate for the same policies are their older counterparts. Many people forget that once a driver has passed that 25-age mark, they should be eligible for a lower auto insurance quote, just for being older. This is also a good time to shop around to make sure that you aren’t missing out on a lower rate.
Interactive Insurance Agency works with multiple carriers, which gives our customers the best possible opportunity to save on your auto insurance policy by comparing rates. Get your free auto quote today and let us show you have we can save you money of your policy premium.
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