Shockingly, most consumers kept their coverage with the same car insurance company for well over three years, and nearly half have never even compared quotes to find cheaper rates. With the average premium in North Carolina being $1,000, drivers could save an average of up to $100 each year, but they just don’t understand the benefits if they swap their current policy for a cheaper one.
It takes a little time, but the best way to find low-cost prices for Suzuki Vitara insurance in Charlotte is to compare prices annually from companies who sell auto insurance in North Carolina. Rate comparisons can be done by completing these steps.
- First, read about how companies set rates and the modifications you can make to keep rates down. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates like your driving record and a negative credit score can be improved by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. This article provides more ideas to help prevent expensive coverage and get bigger discounts that may have been overlooked.
- Second, compare prices from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can provide prices for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Third, compare the price quotes to your existing policy and see if you can save money. If you can save money and switch companies, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
The critical component of shopping around is to make sure you enter similar deductibles and liability limits on each quote request and and to look at as many car insurance companies as possible. This enables an apples-to-apples comparison and a complete rate analysis.
This information will teach you how car insurance quotes work and also save some money in the process If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to reduce the price you pay using the concepts you’re about to learn. Drivers just have to know how to compare insurance rates from many different companies online.
Cheap Suzuki insurance price quotes in Charlotte
The following companies provide price comparisons in Charlotte, NC. If your goal is to find cheap auto insurance in Charlotte, we suggest you get price quotes from several of them to get the best price comparison.
Lower your insurance rates with these eight discounts
Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list every discount very clearly, so the list below gives a summary of some of the best known and also the more inconspicuous credits available to lower your premiums when you buy Charlotte car insurance online.
- One Accident Forgiven – Not necessarily a discount, but companies like GEICO and Liberty Mutual will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to fasten their seat belts can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
- Employee of Federal Government – Active or retired federal employment may qualify for a discount when you quote Charlotte car insurance with certain companies.
- Student Driver Training – Have your child enroll in driver’s education in school or through a local driver safety program.
- E-sign Discounts – Many larger companies may give you up to $50 get Charlotte car insurance online.
- Switch and Save Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for renewing your policy early. This discount can save up to 10%.
- Military Discounts – Having an actively deployed family member could mean lower insurance rates.
- Memberships – Having an affiliation with certain professional organizations could trigger savings when getting a Charlotte car insurance quote.
Don’t be shocked that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Despite the fact that it seems like you could get a free insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few of the larger companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.
- American Family discounts include good student, TimeAway discount, Steer into Savings, air bags, mySafetyValet, and good driver.
- Nationwide may have discounts that include anti-theft, good student, multi-policy, family plan, accident-free, business or organization, and easy pay.
- MetLife may offer discounts for defensive driver, claim-free, good driver, multi-policy, and accident-free.
- 21st Century offers discounts for early bird, student driver, driver training, teen driver, automatic seat belts, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including mature driver, teen driver, good student, electronic funds transfer, youthful driver, and pay in full.
- Allstate includes discounts for economy car, multi-policy, anti-theft, 55 and retired, senior citizen, and farm vehicle.
When getting free Charlotte car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each company how many discounts you can get. Some credits might not be available to policyholders in Charlotte. To choose providers who offer cheap Suzuki Vitara insurance quotes in North Carolina, click here to view.
Get rate quotes but work with a neighborhood Charlotte auto insurance agent
Some consumers just prefer to have an agent’s advice and that can be a great decision Agents can help you build your policy and give you someone to call. An additional benefit of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain lower rates and still have an agent to talk to. Putting coverage with local agents is especially important in Charlotte.
Once you complete this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is sent to participating agents in Charlotte who want to provide quotes for your business. It makes it easy because there is no need to visit any agencies since rate quotes are delivered straight to your inbox. If for some reason you want to quote rates from one company in particular, just find their quoting web page and fill out the quote form the provide.
When researching an insurance agent, it helps to know the two different types of agents and how they can quote your rates. Car insurance agents are classified as either exclusive agents or independent agents. Either one can do a good job, but it is a good idea to know the difference in the companies they write for since it can affect which type of agent you select.
Independent Car Insurance Agents
Agents of this type are appointed with more than one company and that allows them to write policies with many different companies depending on which coverage is best. If your premiums go up, they simply switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured.
When comparing car insurance rates, it’s recommended you include multiple independent agents to maximize your price options. Most can insure with lesser-known insurance companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
Shown below is a small list of independent insurance agencies in Charlotte that can give you comparison quotes.
- Honeycutt Insurance Agency
3121 Springbank Ln F – Charlotte, NC 28226 – (704) 752-8233 – View Map - Patriot Insurance Agencies
9620 Monroe Rd – Charlotte, NC 28270 – (704) 644-3058 – View Map - A1 Insurance
537 W Sugar Creek Rd # 104B – Charlotte, NC 28213 – (704) 598-4442 – View Map
Exclusive Car Insurance Agents
These type of agents normally can only provide a single company’s rates and some examples include Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agents cannot shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Exclusive agencies are usually well trained on what they offer which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Drivers often buy from exclusive agents mostly because of the prominent brand name and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
The following is a list of exclusive insurance agencies in Charlotte that are able to give price quotes.
- AAA Carolinas
6600 A A A Dr – Charlotte, NC 28212 – (704) 569-3600 – View Map - State Farm: Happy Mullen
2201 South Blvd #420 – Charlotte, NC 28203 – (704) 362-0800 – View Map - Roger Craig – State Farm Insurance Agent
1427 Emerywood Dr – Charlotte, NC 28210 – (704) 553-2327 – View Map
Finding a good insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Are they giving you every discount you deserve?
- Does the agent help file claims?
- What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
- Do they have designations such as AIC, CPCU, or CIC?
- Where are claims handled?
After you get good responses to any questions you may have as well as a affordable price, it’s a good possibility that you have found an insurance agency that can be trusted to properly service your car insurance policy.
Auto insurance coverage considerations
Knowing the specifics of your policy helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Collision coverage – This coverage covers damage to your Vitara resulting from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things such as driving through your garage door, sustaining damage from a pot hole and sideswiping another vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible on your Vitara to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive auto coverage – This coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like rock chips in glass, a broken windshield and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses like nursing services, funeral costs, ambulance fees and chiropractic care. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This gives you protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Suzuki Vitara.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (30/60/25 in North Carolina), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liability limits.
Liability coverages – This can cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show limits of 30/60/25 that means you have a $30,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $60,000 in injury protection per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability insurance covers things such as medical expenses, medical services and court costs. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying higher limits if possible. North Carolina requires drivers to carry at least 30/60/25 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
The chart below shows why low liability limits may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.
More comparisons equals affordable rates
Cheaper Suzuki Vitara insurance in Charlotte can be purchased both online as well as from insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who do not provide internet price quotes and usually these regional carriers prefer to sell through independent agencies.
When shopping online for auto insurance, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured cut physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost and still be able to protect your assets.
We covered a lot of tips how to compare Suzuki Vitara insurance premium rates in Charlotte. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding cheaper Charlotte car insurance quotes. Consumers could even find that the lowest premium rates come from a smaller regional carrier.
Helpful learning opportunities
- A Tree Fell on Your Car: Now What? (Allstate)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for Infrequent Drivers in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for High School Students in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Frontal Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- No-Fault Auto Insurance Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)