If you want to save money, the best way to get budget auto insurance rates in Portland is to make a habit of regularly comparing prices from providers in Oregon. This can be done by following these steps.
- Spend a few minutes and learn about policy coverages and the things you can change to drop your rates. Many rating factors that result in higher prices such as high-risk driving behaviors and a low credit score can be eliminated by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Get rate quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can quote prices from multiple insurance companies. Begin your rate comparison
- Compare the new rate quotes to your existing rates to determine if switching companies saves money. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Give proper notification to your current agent or company of your intention to cancel your current car insurance policy and submit a completed application and payment to the newly selected company. When you receive it, place your new certificate verifying proof of insurance in a readily accessible location in your vehicle.
The critical component of shopping around is to compare identical limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to get rates from as many companies as you can. Doing this guarantees a fair rate comparison and plenty of rates choose from.
We don’t have to point out that fact that car insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. Drivers who do rate comparisons will, in all likelihood, buy a new policy because there are good odds of finding a lower-priced policy. A recent survey discovered that people who faithfully checked for cheaper rates saved on average $3,400 over four years compared to people who don’t make a habit of comparing rates.
If finding low prices for insurance in Portland is why you’re reading this, knowing how to quote and compare insurance can make the process less intimidating.
Lower rates by qualifying for discounts
Car insurance is not cheap, but there could be significant discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain reductions will be credited at quote time, but a few must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Factory options such as air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts up to 30%.
- Early Signing – Some larger companies reward drivers for switching companies before your current coverage expires. The savings is around 10%.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Maintaining low annual mileage can earn substantially lower premium rates.
- Government Employee Discount – Having worked for a branch of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your car insurance provider.
- Memberships – Being in certain professional organizations could trigger savings on your next car insurance statement.
- Student in College – Older children who are enrolled in higher education away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Own a Home – Just owning your own home can get you a discount due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
A quick disclaimer, some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck.
If you would like to see a list of insurance companies who offer cheap Jeep Cherokee insurance quotes in Portland in Oregon, follow this link.
Cutting your Portland car insurance rates isn’t really that difficult. All that’s required is to invest a little time comparing rates from some recommended companies.
The auto insurance companies shown below are ready to provide comparison quotes in Oregon. If you want cheap car insurance in Oregon, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them in order to find the cheapest rates.
Do I need special coverages?
Keep in mind that when it comes to choosing your policy, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Your financial needs are unique so your insurance needs to address that.
Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- What does medical payments cover?
- Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
- Is upholstery damage covered by car insurance?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
- Do I need an umbrella policy?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.
Local neighborhood agents and insurance
Certain consumers prefer to go talk to an agent and often times that is recommended Professional insurance agents are very good at helping people manage risk and help submit paperwork. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent.
Once you complete this short form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Portland that give free quotes to get your business. It makes it easy because there is no need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address. If you want to get a comparison quote for a specific company, feel free to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Picking the best insurer is decision based upon more than just the quoted price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Is auto insurance their primary focus in Portland?
- In the event of vehicle damage, can you pick the collision repair facility?
- How will an accident affect your rates?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
When looking for a good insurance agency, it’s important to understand the types of agencies and how they can write your policy. Insurance agencies are considered either independent (non-exclusive) or exclusive. Both types can write insurance policies, but we need to point out how they are different because it can impact the kind of agent you use.
Exclusive Agencies
Agents in the exclusive channel normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot provide prices from multiple companies so keep that in mind. Exclusive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage. Drivers often purchase coverage from exclusives partially due to high brand loyalty instead of buying on price only.
The following are Portland exclusive agents willing to provide price quote information.
- Allstate Insurance: Peggy Romero
7825 SE Foster Rd – Portland, OR 97206 – (503) 255-7828 – View Map - Vu Han – State Farm Insurance Agent
322 NE 82nd Ave – Portland, OR 97220 – (503) 252-1114 – View Map - Lisa Parks – State Farm Insurance Agent
11116 NE Halsey St A – Portland, OR 97220 – (503) 256-3077 – View Map
Independent Agents
Agents of this type are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage through many companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can just switch to a different company and the insured can keep the same agent.
When comparison shopping, you absolutely need to contact a couple of independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison. They often place coverage with companies that do not advertise much which may have better rates.
Listed below are independent insurance agencies in Portland who can help you get price quotes.
- Peninsula Insurance
12700 NW Cornell Rd – Portland, OR 97229 – (503) 644-5333 – View Map - Elliott, Powell, Baden and Baker Inc
1521 SW Salmon St – Portland, OR 97205 – (503) 227-1771 – View Map - Fox Insurance Agency
1819 SW 5th Ave – Portland, OR 97201 – (503) 277-2300 – View Map
Once you have received positive feedback to all your questions and an affordable coverage quote, you have narrowed it down to a car insurance agent that can provide insurance coverage.
Quote more and you will save more
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to find cheap Jeep Cherokee insurance in Portland. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower auto insurance rates than their larger competitors like GEICO and State Farm.
Some insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies only sell through independent agents. More affordable car insurance in Portland is definitely available from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best rate selection.
More information can be found on the following sites:
- Insurance Losses by Make and Model (iihs.org)
- How Much are Portland Car Insurance Rates for Good Drivers? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Toyota Camry in Portland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a Ford Escape in Portland? (FAQ)
- Self-driving cars won’t replace humans (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- How to Avoid Buying a Flooded Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Dangers of fake or stolen airbags (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)