The most effective way to get more affordable auto insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from different companies in Portland. You can compare prices by following these steps.
Step 1: Spend a few minutes and learn about how insurance works and the things you can control to keep rates low. Many factors that increase rates such as tickets, at-fault accidents, and an imperfect credit rating can be controlled by making minor changes in your lifestyle. Continue reading for the details to find cheap prices and get additional discounts.
Step 2: Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only give prices from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agencies can give you price quotes from multiple companies.
Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your existing coverage and see if there is a cheaper rate in Portland. If you find better rates, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
Step 4: Notify your company or agent of your intention to cancel your current policy and submit a completed application and payment to your new carrier. Be sure to safely store the certificate of insurance with your registration paperwork.
The key thing to remember is to try to use similar coverage information on each quote request and and to get prices from every insurance company. This helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and a complete selection of prices.
It’s an obvious assumption that auto insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. People who shop around are inclined to move their business because of the high probability of finding lower prices. A recent car insurance study discovered that drivers who routinely shopped for cheaper coverage saved on average $860 a year compared to other drivers who never shopped around for lower prices.
If saving money on car insurance in Portland is your goal, understanding how to find companies and compare coverages can make it easier to find better rates.
Learn How to Get Auto Insurance for Less
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that aid in calculating your auto insurance rates. If you have a feel for what impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that can help you get cheaper rates. Lots of things are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving record, although some other factors are more transparent such as your marital status or your vehicle rating.
The itemized list below are some of the most common factors used by insurance companies to determine your premiums.
Being married can lower rates – Being married can actually save you money when shopping for auto insurance. Marriage may mean you are less irresponsible and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.
With age comes lower costs – Youthful drivers in Oregon tend to be inattentive and easily distracted when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher. Parents adding a beginning driver onto your auto insurance can break the bank. Older drivers are more cautious drivers, file fewer claims, and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.
High performance vehicles cost more to insure – The performance level of the vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a huge difference in your rates. The lowest performance passenger cars usually are quite affordable to insure, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
Tickets can increase premiums – Drivers with clean records get better rates as compared to careless drivers. Having a single speeding ticket can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Drivers who have gotten flagrant citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to prove financial responsibility with their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
Do you have a tough job? – Occupations such as real estate brokers, business owners, and emergency personnel tend to pay the highest rates because of high stress and extremely grueling work hours. Other careers like professors, engineers and performers have the lowest average rates.
Never let your auto insurance policy lapse – Driving your car without having proper coverage is illegal and as a result your rates will increase for letting your insurance lapse. In addition to paying higher premiums, getting caught without coverage might get you fines and jail time.
Affordable Honda S2000 insurance quotes in Portland
Some companies don’t always list the entire discount list very well, so the next list breaks down a few of the more well known as well as some of the hidden credits that you can use to lower your rates. If you are not receiving all the discounts available, you could be saving more on your auto insurance.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn as much as 10 to 15 percent.
- Buy New and Save – Insuring a vehicle that is new can be considerably cheaper because new model year vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars equipped with ABS or steering control can avoid accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
- Military Rewards – Being on active duty in the military can result in better premium rates.
- Home Ownership Discount – Just owning your own home can save a few bucks due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
- Early Signing – Some insurance companies provide a discount for renewing your policy before your current S2000 insurance policy expires. It can save you around 10%.
- Good Grades Discount – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
A list of companies and a partial list of their discounts are:
- State Farm has savings for Drive Safe & Save, driver’s education, Steer Clear safe driver discount, defensive driving training, good driver, multiple policy, and multiple autos.
- American Family may include discounts for early bird, Steer into Savings, bundled insurance, defensive driver, TimeAway discount, and mySafetyValet.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including air bags, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, good student, seat belt use, and multi-policy.
- 21st Century offers discounts for teen driver, anti-lock brakes, good student, theft prevention, and driver training.
- Progressive has discounts for online signing, online quote discount, multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, good student, and continuous coverage.
When getting a coverage quote, ask all companies you are considering how many discounts you can get. Depending on the company, some discounts may not apply to policies in Portland.
Don’t give up on cheap rates
Cheap Honda S2000 insurance in Portland can be bought from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so get free Portland car insurance quotes from both of them in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers may not provide online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.
You just read quite a bit of information on how to get a better price on Honda S2000 insurance in Portland. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest prices are with the smaller companies. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give better rates compared to the large companies like GEICO and State Farm.
While you’re price shopping online, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest cost while still protecting your assets.
Additional car insurance information can be found at these links:
- What is Gap Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for High School Students in Portland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Portland Auto Insurance Rates After a Speeding Ticket? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Toyota Camry in Portland? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Portland Auto Insurance for a Toyota Corolla? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Portland Car Insurance Quotes for Low Credit Scores? (FAQ)
- Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)
- Insurance Losses by Make and Model (iihs.org)