Trying to come up with a payment for overpriced car insurance can deplete your checking account and force you to make sacrifices. Doing a rate comparison is an excellent way to lower your bills every month.
Due to the large number of car insurance companies to choose from, it is very difficult to find a more affordable car insurance company.
Save a ton with these car insurance discounts
Car insurance companies don’t list every discount they offer in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list a few of the more well known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving when you .
- Renewal Discounts – A few car insurance companies give discounts for switching companies prior to the expiration date on your current policy. The savings is around 10%.
- Theft Deterent System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Having all your vehicles on a single policy can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
- Active Service Discounts – Having an actively deployed family member could qualify you for better premium rates.
- Dallas Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home can help you save on car insurance because owning a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
Don’t be shocked that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help lower your policy premium.
A list of car insurance companies and a selection of discounts are shown below.
- 21st Century has savings for air bags, good student, teen driver, 55 and older, theft prevention, early bird, and student driver.
- State Farm includes discounts for Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, student away at school, defensive driving training, safe vehicle, multiple autos, and anti-theft.
- AAA has discounts for education and occupation, anti-theft, pay-in-full, multi-car, AAA membership discount, multi-policy, and good driver.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include safety features, preferred payment discount, teen driver discount, newly retired, exclusive group savings, and new graduate.
- Progressive discounts include online quote discount, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, multi-policy, and homeowner.
When comparing rates, check with every company which discounts you may be entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be offered on policies everywhere.
Smart Consumers Save Money
Many different elements are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, although others are more transparent such as your credit history or your vehicle rating.
The factors shown below are some of the items used by insurance companies to determine your rate level.
- Good credit equals lower premiums – Your credit history can be an important factor in calculating your premium rate. If your credit could use some work, you could potentially save money when insuring your Dodge Journey by improving your credit score. Insureds that have very good credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with poor credit.
- Raising deductibles saves money – Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, also called ‘full coverage’, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply are collision with another vehicle, hail damage, and having a roll-over accident. The more money you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the less money you will pay for car insurance on Journey coverage.
- Your liability coverage limits – The liability coverage on your policy will protect you in the event that you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage to attempt to prove you were not liable. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
- Rate your vehicle for proper use – The more you drive your Dodge annually the higher the price you pay to insure it. Most companies apply a rate partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than those used for commuting. Verify your car insurance declarations sheet correctly shows how each vehicle is driven. Having the wrong rating on your Journey may be costing you.
- Prevent your car from being stolen – Selecting a car model with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft deterrent systems like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder car theft.
- Age of drivers – Older people are viewed as being more responsible, are lower risk to insure and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.Beginning drivers are proven to be inattentive in a vehicle so car insurance rates are higher.
There’s no such thing as the perfect car insurance policy
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.
- What are Texas no-fault laws?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
- Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
- Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Does my Dodge Journey need full coverage?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
- Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Shop online but buy locally
Some people would prefer to get professional advice from a licensed agent and that can be a smart move One of the best bonuses of getting free rate quotes online is that you can obtain the best rates and still have a local agent.
After filling out this short form, your insurance data is instantly submitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered directly to you. You can find better rates without a big time investment. If you want to get a comparison quote from a specific insurance company, just visit that company’s website to submit a rate quote request.
Choosing a company should depend on more than just the quoted price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Are they giving you every discount you deserve?
- Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- How many companies do they write for?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
Multiple types of auto insurance agents in Dallas
If you’re trying to find a reliable insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents and how they can service your needs differently. Agents in Dallas are categorized either independent or captive.
Captive Insurance Agencies
Agents of this type can only provide one company’s prices and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. They generally cannot shop your coverage around so you might not find the best rates. Captive agencies are highly trained on the products they sell which helps them sell on service rather than price.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents do not sell for just one brand so they can insure your vehicles through many companies and find the cheapest rate. If they quote lower rates, they simply move the coverage in-house which makes it simple for you.
If you need cheaper car insurance rates, we recommend you get rate quotes from multiple independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.
If you receive positive responses to these questions and a good coverage price, it’s a good possibility that you have found an insurance agency that is professional and can properly insure your vehicles.
Slick advertising tricks that work
Car insurance providers like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive endlessly run television and radio advertisements. They all convey the message that you’ll save big just by moving to their company. How do they all have lower policy pricing?
All companies give the cheapest rates for the type of customer that will most likely be profitable. A good example of a driver they prefer could possibly be over the age of 50, has a clear driving record, and chooses high deductibles. Any customer that matches those criteria will qualify for the lowest premium rates in Dallas and will most likely cut their rates substantially.
People who do not fit the “perfect” profile may be required to pay more expensive rates which results in the customer not buying. If you pay attention, the ads say “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. Because of these techniques, you really should compare quotes as often as possible. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide the lowest auto insurance rates.
More information about car insurance
Even more information is located at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find out industry alerts, learn about specific coverages, and report car insurance fraud.
More related Dallas car insurance information:
- Dallas, TX Auto Insurance Agents Which is Right for You?
- Useful Tips for Finding a Dallas, TX Insurance Agent
And the best car insurance company is…
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
We just covered many ideas to lower your Dodge Journey insurance premium rates. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better likelihood of getting . You may be surprised to find that the lowest premium rates come from a small local company. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower prices than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.