Truthfully, the best way to get affordable car insurance rates in Charlotte is to compare prices at least once a year from insurers that insure vehicles in North Carolina. Price quotes can be compared by following these guidelines.
- Try to understand how auto insurance works and the factors you can control to prevent rate increases. Many things that are responsible for high rates like speeding tickets, careless driving and a poor credit rating can be amended by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. This article provides tips to help reduce premium rates and get bigger discounts.
- Compare price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can provide rate quotes from multiple companies.
- Compare the new rates to your existing policy to see if cheaper A3 coverage is available in Charlotte. If you find a lower rate and buy the policy, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
- Notify your agent or company of your intention to cancel the current policy. Submit the required down payment along with the signed application to the new company. When you receive it, put the new certificate verifying proof of insurance along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
One piece of advice is to try to use similar deductibles and liability limits on each quote and and to get price estimates from as many carriers as you can. Doing this enables a fair price comparison and a good representation of prices.
Astonishing but true, a large majority of drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for four years or more, and just under half have never compared quotes from other companies. Many consumers in Charlotte could cut their rates by $90 a year by just comparing rate quotes, but most tend to underestimate the large savings they would see if they changed companies.
Smart Consumers Know How to Get Auto Insurance More Affordably
When buying auto insurance it’s important to understand a few of the rating criteria that help determine your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what determines premiums, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with better auto insurance rates. Lots of factors are taken into consideration when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but others are not as apparent such as your marital status or your vehicle rating.
- Never let your coverage expire – Going without insurance will be a fast way to increase your renewal premiums. Not only will you pay more, being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a revoked license or a big fine.
- Drive fewer miles and save – The more you drive every year the more it will cost to insure it. The majority of insurers calculate prices partially by how you use the vehicle. Cars that are left in the garage can be on a lower rate level than cars that get driven a lot. An improperly rated A3 can cost quite a bit. Make sure your auto insurance policy correctly shows annual mileage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Defend yourself with liability insurance – Your auto insurance policy’s liability coverage will provide protection if a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared to the cost of physical damage coverage, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
- Don’t abuse auto insurance claims – If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can expect higher rates. Insurance companies in North Carolina generally give discounts to drivers who file claims infrequently. Your car insurance is intended for more catastrophic claims.
- Consolidate policies with the same company – Most major insurers apply a discount to insureds who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. This can amount to as much as ten percent or more If you currently are using one company, drivers will still want to check prices from other companies to guarantee you are still saving the most.
- Cheaper auto insurance rates using GPS tracking and theft deterrents – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can earn a premium discount. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack can help prevent vehicle theft.
-
Does insurance coverage cost less for females? – Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. Women and men are responsible for at-fault accidents at about the same rate, but males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Not only that, but men also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Male teenagers cause the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
The illustration below visualizes the comparison of Audi A3 auto insurance costs for male and female drivers. The rates are based on no accidents, no driving violations, full coverage, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
-
Insurance losses for an Audi A3 – Companies analyze claim trends for every vehicle to help determine costs. Vehicles that historically have high amounts or severity of claims will have increased rates.
The table below shows the collected loss data for Audi A3 vehicles. For each coverage type, the claim amount for all vehicles averaged together is set at 100. Values that are 100 or less indicate a favorable loss history, while percentage numbers above 100 indicate more frequent losses or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.
Audi A3 Insurance Claim Statistics Vehicle Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Audi A3 4dr 2WD 152 90 109 85 Audi A3 4dr 4WD 147 73 111 80 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEEmpty fields indicate not enough data collected
Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Rate information and statistics
The rate information shown below covers detailed analysis of prices for Audi A3 models. Having insight into how insurance prices are calculated can benefit drivers when making decisions on which insurance to purchase.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A3 2.0T Premium Package | $186 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $906 | $76 |
A3 2.0T Premium Plus Package | $186 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $906 | $76 |
A3 2.0T Quattro | $210 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $930 | $78 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Prices based on married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Premium costs do not factor in garaging location in Charlotte which can modify rates considerably.
Higher deductibles lower rates
A question often asked by Charlotte drivers is how high should the deductibles for physical damage be. The rates below approximate the differences in price when you choose different physical damage coverage deductibles. The first data table uses a $100 comprehensive and collision deductible and the second price table uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A3 2.0T Premium Package | $214 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,033 | $86 |
A3 2.0T Premium Plus Package | $214 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,033 | $86 |
A3 2.0T Quattro | $242 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,061 | $88 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A3 2.0T Premium Package | $156 | $308 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $802 | $67 |
A3 2.0T Premium Plus Package | $156 | $308 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $802 | $67 |
A3 2.0T Quattro | $176 | $308 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $822 | $69 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Prices based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy. Estimates do not factor in specific location information which can raise or lower coverage rates noticeably.
Using the data above, we can ascertain that using a $100 deductible will cost you about $19 more each month or $228 each year than buying the higher $500 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $400 more out of your own pocket with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you average at least 21 months between claim filings, you would probably be better off if you opt for a higher deductible.
How to calculate deductible break even period
Average monthly premium for $100 deductibles: | $87 |
Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $68 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $19 |
Difference between deductibles ($500 – $100): | $400 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $400 / $19 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 21 months |
An important sidenote is that raising deductibles to get cheaper rates means you pay more out-of-pocket when you have to file a claim. You should have some available funds in the event you need to pay the higher deductible.
Difference between full coverage and liability only rates
The example below shows the comparison of Audi A3 insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. The information is based on a clean driving record, no claims, $250 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
When to stop buying full coverage
There is no clear-cut formula for eliminating physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than about 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Audi A3 replacement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company will settle for is $4,000 after you pay the deductible. If premium cost is more than $400 a year to have full coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
There are a few situations where buying only liability insurance is not recommended. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should not remove full coverage.
These discounts can lower your auto insurance rates
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts that you may not even know about. Some discounts will apply when you complete an application, but occasionally some discounts must be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
- Driver Training Discounts – Participating in a defensive driving class could earn you a small percentage discount and make you a better driver.
- Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of a professional or civic organization may earn a discount when getting a Charlotte auto insurance quote.
- Active Military Service – Being deployed in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save a little off the personal injury premium cost.
- ABS Braking Discount – Cars and trucks equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and the ABS can save up to 10%.
- Paper-free Discount – A handful of auto insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks shop Charlotte auto insurance on your computer.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time as opposed to paying monthly you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up to age 25.
- Telematics Discount – Drivers who elect to allow companies to study driving patterns by installing a telematics device like Drivewise from Allstate or In-Drive from State Farm may get a rate reduction as long as they are good drivers.
Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts should help lower your policy cost.
The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Audi A3 car insurance rates with and without policy discounts. The premiums are based on a female driver, no accidents or driving violations, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, multi-car, and marriage discounts applied.
Large auto insurance companies and their offered discounts are detailed below.
- GEICO may include discounts for membership and employees, good student, anti-lock brakes, five-year accident-free, driver training, emergency military deployment, and air bags.
- Travelers policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, home ownership, new car, student away at school, save driver, continuous insurance, and payment discounts.
- Nationwide offers premium reductions for accident-free, defensive driving, business or organization, Farm Bureau membership, multi-policy, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts for homeowner, bundle discounts, teen driver, good student, distant student, switch companies, and youthful driver.
- Esurance has savings for emergency road assistance, anti-lock brakes, multi-policy, claim free, and homeowner.
- State Farm includes discounts for multiple autos, driver’s education, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, good driver, passive restraint, and student away at school.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, online quote discount, multi-policy, continuous coverage, good student, online signing, and homeowner.
- Mercury Insurance has discounts for ease of repair, good driver, multi-policy, professional/association, annual mileage, and type of vehicle.
If you want affordable Charlotte auto insurance quotes, ask every company what discounts are available to you. Some credits might not be offered on policies in your state. If you would like to see a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in North Carolina, click here.
Cheap insurance premiums are possible
In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to shop for Audi A3 insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of getting affordable Audi A3 insurance quotes. Drivers may even discover the lowest prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Cheap Audi A3 insurance in Charlotte is attainable from both online companies and from local agencies, and you should compare rates from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers may not provide the ability to get quotes online and these smaller companies provide coverage only through independent insurance agents.
When searching for the cheapest Audi A3 rate quotes, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest cost, but do not skimp to save money.
More information
- Collision Insurance Coverage (Nationwide)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for a Nissan Sentra in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- How Much are Car Insurance Rates for a Subaru Forester in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Charlotte Car Insurance Rates for a School Permit? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Teenagers in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for Single Moms in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Red Light Cameras (State Farm)
- Vehicle Insurance (Wikipedia)
- Older Drivers FAQ (iihs.org)
- Should I Buy a New or Used Car? (Allstate)