If you want to save the most money, the best way to get the cheapest auto insurance rates is to start comparing rates regularly from companies who sell insurance in Charlotte.
- Take a little time to learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the measures you can take to keep rates low. Many risk factors that increase rates like speeding tickets, accidents and a substandard credit history can be controlled by paying attention to minor details. This article gives tips to keep prices down and get bigger discounts.
- Request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can give quotes from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agents can quote rates from multiple companies.
- Compare the quotes to your existing rates and see if there is a cheaper rate. If you find a better price, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
- Notify your current company to cancel your current coverage and submit a signed application and payment to your new insurance company. As soon as you can, place the new certificate verifying coverage in your glove compartment.
The key aspect of shopping around is to use the same physical damage deductibles and liability limits on each price quote and and to get quotes from as many different insurance providers as possible. This guarantees a fair rate comparison and a thorough selection of prices.
Unimaginable but true, almost 70% of insureds have stayed with the same insurance company for over three years, and just under half have never compared auto insurance rates at all. North Carolina insurance shoppers can save hundreds of dollars each year by just shopping around, but most tend to underestimate how much they could save if they swap their current policy for a cheaper one.
Locating the best rates in Charlotte is much easier if you have a good place to start. Essentially each driver who quotes insurance should find a better price. Nevertheless, North Carolina drivers must understand how insurance companies sell online and use it to find better rates.
It’s important to know that comparing more rates from different companies will improve the odds of getting lower pricing. Some smaller insurers do not give Charlotte LaCrosse insurance quotes over the internet, so it’s recommended that you also compare prices from them, too.
The companies in the list below offer price quotes in Charlotte, NC. To find cheap auto insurance in Charlotte, NC, we suggest you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Why you need to buy insurance
Despite the high cost, insuring your vehicle serves an important purpose.
- The majority of states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy specific minimum amounts of liability protection if you don’t want to risk a ticket. In North Carolina these limits are 30/60/25 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you have a loan on your vehicle, it’s most likely the lender will make it a condition of the loan that you have full coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If the policy lapses, the bank may insure your Buick at a more expensive rate and require you to reimburse them for the much more expensive policy.
- Insurance preserves both your Buick LaCrosse and your personal assets. It will also pay for all forms of medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability coverage will also pay for a defense attorney if you cause an accident and are sued. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, your insurance policy will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of buying insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays as much as $700 annually so it’s important to compare rates at every policy renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Rate information and statistics
The rate information displayed below outlines different insurance policy prices for Buick LaCrosse models. Learning a little about how policy rates are established can assist in making smart buying decisions.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lacrosse CX | $196 | $322 | $286 | $16 | $86 | $906 | $76 |
Lacrosse CXL | $196 | $378 | $286 | $16 | $86 | $962 | $80 |
Lacrosse CXL AWD | $196 | $378 | $286 | $16 | $86 | $962 | $80 |
Lacrosse CXS | $218 | $378 | $286 | $16 | $86 | $984 | $82 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Price data assumes single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in specific location which can affect coverage prices significantly.
How high should deductibles be?
One of the hardest decisions when shopping for insurance is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The following insurance rates help summarize how much more you’ll pay when you buy lower versus higher physical damage coverage deductibles. The first rate estimation uses a $100 deductible for physical damage and the second data table uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lacrosse CX | $242 | $386 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $941 | $78 |
Lacrosse CXL | $242 | $456 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $1,011 | $84 |
Lacrosse CXL AWD | $242 | $456 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $1,011 | $84 |
Lacrosse CXS | $270 | $456 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $1,039 | $87 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lacrosse CX | $176 | $262 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $726 | $61 |
Lacrosse CXL | $176 | $308 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $772 | $64 |
Lacrosse CXL AWD | $176 | $308 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $772 | $64 |
Lacrosse CXS | $196 | $308 | $212 | $12 | $64 | $792 | $66 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-policy. Price estimates do not factor in garaging location in Charlotte which can change auto insurance rates greatly.
Based on the figures above, using a $100 deductible will cost you roughly $19 more each month or $228 each year than selecting the higher $500 deductible. Because you would pay $400 more to file a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you usually have more than 21 months between claims, you would probably be better off by selecting a higher deductible. The numbers below show the way we made this calculation.
Average monthly premium for $100 deductibles: | $83 |
Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $64 |
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 |
One important caveat is that increasing deductibles to lower your rates results in more money out-of-pocket when you have a comprehensive or collision claim. You need to make sure you have enough extra savings in the event you need to pay the deductible.
The illustration below illustrates how your choice of deductibles and can change Buick LaCrosse insurance costs for different age groups. Data assumes a single male driver, full coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Men versus women drivers and insurance cost
The information below compares Buick LaCrosse yearly insurance costs for male and female drivers. The rate quotes are based on no claims, a clean driving record, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Rate difference between full and liability-only coverage
The example below shows the comparison of Buick LaCrosse auto insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in North Carolina. The data is based on no accidents or driving violations, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are factored in.
When to stop paying for full coverage
There is no clear-cut formula to stop buying comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.
For example, let’s say your Buick LaCrosse settlement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $2,000 after paying your policy deductible. If it’s costing you more than $200 a year to have full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are a few cases where only buying liability is not a good plan. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not buy liability only.
Charlotte car insurance discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always advertise every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the list below gives a summary of a few of the more common and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using when you buy Charlotte car insurance online.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get better car insurance rates.
- Employee of Federal Government – Active or retired federal employment may qualify for a discount when you quote Charlotte car insurance but check with your company.
- Organization Discounts – Joining specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could qualify you for a break when getting a Charlotte car insurance quote.
- Accident Free – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can earn big discounts as opposed to policyholders that have many claims.
- Multiple Vehicles – Purchasing coverage when you have several vehicles on one policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
- Buy New and Save – Putting insurance on a new LaCrosse is cheaper because newer vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Homeowners Savings – Just owning your own home may earn you a small savings due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
- E-sign Discounts – Some of the larger companies will give a small break for signing up on the web.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy. But all discounts will help reduce your policy premiums.
The chart below compares Buick LaCrosse premium costs with and without discounts. The costs are based on a female driver, no claims, a clean driving record, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, marriage, multi-car, and safe-driver discounts applied.
Insurance companies that may offer some of the discounts shown above possibly include:
Before you buy a policy, ask all companies you are considering which discounts you qualify for. Savings might not be offered in Charlotte. To find providers that offer the discounts shown above in North Carolina, follow this link.
Independent and exclusive insurance agents
Certain consumers would rather go talk to an agent and that can be a smart move One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you may find lower car insurance rates and still buy from a local agent.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, the quote information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in Charlotte who will gladly provide quotes for your auto insurance coverage. You won’t even need to search for an agent since rate quotes are delivered to you directly. You can get cheaper auto insurance rates without having to waste a lot of time. If for some reason you want to compare rates from a specific insurance company, you can always search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
Choosing the best company should include more criteria than just a low price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Is the agency active in community causes in Charlotte?
- What company do they have the most business with?
- Will they take your side in the event of a claim?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
- What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
If you would like to find an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agencies and how they are slightly different. Auto insurance agencies may be either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Exclusive Agents
Agents of this type write business for a single company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are unable to provide other company’s prices so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They receive extensive training on their company’s products and that can be a competitive advantage.
The following is a list of exclusive agencies in Charlotte that can give you price quotes.
Allstate Insurance: Bob White
601 S Kings Dr, Ste FF – Charlotte, NC 28204 – (704) 376-3479 – View Map
Matt “Woody” Woodford – State Farm Insurance Agent
501 S Sharon Amity Rd #200 – Charlotte, NC 28211 – (704) 971-3030 – View Map
Joe Pomykacz – State Farm Insurance Agent
2730 E W.T. Harris Blvd #202 – Charlotte, NC 28213 – (704) 535-3700 – View Map
Independent Agents
Agents of this type are not employed by any specific company and that allows them to write policies with lots of companies and find you cheaper rates. If your premiums go up, they simply move the coverage in-house which requires no work on your part.
If you are comparing rate quotes, you should always include multiple independent agents so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare.
The following is a list of independent insurance agents in Charlotte that are able to give rate quotes.
Nationwide Insurance: Ed Cantey Insurance Agency Inc
5534 Albemarle Rd Ste 105 – Charlotte, NC 28212 – (704) 563-7777 – View Map
Michael A Goodman Insurance Agency Inc
6401 Carmel Rd Ste 208 – Charlotte, NC 28226 – (704) 541-8660 – View Map
Craig and Preston Insurance Agency
2210 Coronation Blvd Suite A – Charlotte, NC 28227 – (704) 321-2900 – View Map
In the end, you can save money
When searching for cheaper Charlotte car insurance quotes, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. Too many times, an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your objective should be to buy enough coverage at the best possible price, not the least amount of coverage.
Cheaper insurance in Charlotte is available on the web and from local agencies, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies may not have online quoting and many times these smaller providers work with local independent agencies.
For more information, link through to the resources below:
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Who Has Cheap Charlotte Auto Insurance for 4×4 Vehicles? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Over Age 70 in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Charlotte Auto Insurance Rates for a Toyota RAV4? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Inexperienced Drivers in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for 18 Year Olds in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
- Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
- Vehicle Size and Weight FAQ (iihs.org)