If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to find more affordable car insurance rates is to start comparing prices yearly from insurers who sell auto insurance in Charlotte. You can compare prices by following these steps.
Step 1: Try to comprehend car insurance and the things you can control to keep rates in check. Many rating criteria that drive up the price like at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and your credit history can be rectified by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
Step 2: Compare rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only give prices from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can quote rates from multiple insurance companies. View insurance agents
Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you can save some money, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to use identical limits and deductibles on every quote and and to look at every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure a fair price comparison and plenty of rates choose from.
We don’t have to tell you that insurance companies don’t want you quoting rates from other companies. Insureds who shop around will presumably buy a different policy because they have good chances of finding coverage at a more affordable price. A survey found that people who regularly compared rates saved an average of $72 a month compared to other drivers who never shopped around for cheaper prices.
If finding the cheapest price on insurance is your ultimate target, then having an understanding of the best way to shop and compare insurance rates can make it simple to find affordable coverage.
If you already have coverage, you stand a good chance to be able to find the best rates using the ideas you’re about to read. Buying the cheapest auto insurance in Charlotte can initially seem challenging. Although North Carolina drivers should learn how big insurance companies determine what you pay because rates are impacted by many factors.
Just keep in mind that quoting more will enable you to find a better price.
The companies shown below can provide free rate quotes in North Carolina. To get cheaper car insurance in Charlotte, NC, we suggest you visit as many as you can in order to find the cheapest rates.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Annual Policy Premium | 6-month Policy Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Colorado LT Extended Cab 4WD | $556 | $278 | $46 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT 2WD | $662 | $331 | $55 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $698 | $349 | $58 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $676 | $338 | $56 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 2WD | $704 | $352 | $59 |
| Dodge Ram Crew Cab Sport 4WD | $768 | $384 | $64 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $608 | $304 | $51 |
| Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab Harley 2WD | $712 | $356 | $59 |
| Ford Focus SES 4-Dr Sedan | $682 | $341 | $57 |
| Ford Fusion Sport 4-Dr Sedan | $712 | $356 | $59 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $608 | $304 | $51 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $556 | $278 | $46 |
| Honda Civic SI 4-Dr Sedan | $734 | $367 | $61 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $626 | $313 | $52 |
| Kia Optima SX | $754 | $377 | $63 |
| Nissan Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $712 | $356 | $59 |
| Toyota Camry SE | $698 | $349 | $58 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $698 | $349 | $58 |
| Toyota Prius | $622 | $311 | $52 |
| Get Rate Quotes for Your Vehicle Go | |||
Cost estimates assume married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, and safe-driver. Premium costs do not factor in specific garaging location which can lower or raise rates substantially.
Car insurance is not optional in North Carolina
Despite the potentially high cost of car insurance, insurance may be mandatory for several reasons.
- The majority of states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require a specific level of liability insurance coverage 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 took out a loan on your vehicle, it’s most likely the lender will have a requirement that you buy insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you default on your policy, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your vehicle at an extremely high rate and force you to reimburse them a much higher amount than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects not only your vehicle but also your assets. Insurance will pay for most medical and hospital costs for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay attorney fees in the event you are sued. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, your car insurance policy will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, especially when you need to use it. According to a 2015 survey, the average American driver is overpaying more than $825 a year so it’s important to compare rates each time the policy renews to make sure the price is not too high.
These six discounts can cut car insurance rates
Some insurance providers don’t always publicize all their discounts very clearly, so below is a list a few of the more common as well as the least known credits available to lower your premiums when you buy Charlotte car insurance online. If you are not receiving all the discounts you deserve, you’re paying more than you need to.
- No Accidents – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims are rewarded with significantly better rates on Charlotte car insurance quote as opposed to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can get savings of 25 to 30%.
- New Car Discount – Buying insurance on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less compared to insuring an older model.
- Professional Organizations – Affiliation with specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could trigger savings on your next car insurance statement.
- No Charge for an Accident – Not really a discount, but companies like Allstate, Progressive, and GEICO will turn a blind eye to one accident before raising your premiums if you have no claims for a specific time period.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could qualify for a slight premium decrease with select insurance companies.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Despite the appearance that adding up those discounts means a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
Large car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are included below.
- State Farm may have discounts that include anti-theft, good driver, driver’s education, multiple policy, and defensive driving training.
- Liberty Mutual policyholders can earn discounts including preferred payment discount, exclusive group savings, hybrid vehicle, new graduate, and newly retired.
- American Family discounts include Steer into Savings, good student, air bags, TimeAway discount, early bird, bundled insurance, and good driver.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for continuous coverage, online quote discount, multi-policy, online signing, and multi-vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including good student, teen driver, mature driver, homeowner, and electronic funds transfer.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has savings for paperless, anti-lock brakes, safe driver, multi-policy, paid in full, teen driver, and multiple vehicles.
- SAFECO has discounts for multi-car, anti-theft, drive less, accident prevention training, and anti-lock brakes.
When getting free Charlotte car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to every insurance company which discounts they offer. Depending on the company, some discounts may not apply to policyholders everywhere. To see a list of car insurance companies who offer free car insurance quotes in Charlotte, click this link.
When should I contact an insurance agent?
Certain consumers just want to have an agent’s advice and doing so can bring peace of mind The best thing about getting online price quotes is that drivers can save money and get the lowest rates and still have a local agent.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your information is submitted to agents in your area who can give free rate quotes for your coverage. You won’t need to contact an agency as quotes are delivered to you. You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to work with. If you wish to quote rates for a specific company, you just need to find their quoting web page and fill out the quote form the provide.
Choosing an company needs to be determined by more than just a low price. The following questions are important to ask.
- Who are their largest clients?
- How will an accident affect your rates?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
Not all auto insurance agents are the same
If you would like to find a good insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Car insurance agents in Charlotte are either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents in the exclusive channel can only provide pricing for a single company such as Farmers Insurance or State Farm. Exclusive agents cannot compare other company’s rates so keep that in mind. They are well schooled on their products and sales techniques and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
Below are Charlotte exclusive agencies who may provide you with comparison quotes.
Howard Johnson Jr – State Farm Insurance Agent
5342 Docia Crossing Rd a – Charlotte, NC 28269 – (704) 947-7233 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: Bob White
601 S Kings Dr, Ste FF – Charlotte, NC 28204 – (704) 376-3479 – View Map
Jeff Genant – State Farm Insurance Agent
15105 John J Delaney Dr – Charlotte, NC 28277 – (704) 594-3000 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
These type of agents can quote rates with many companies so as a result can place your coverage with many different companies and get you the best rates possible. If they quote lower rates, they simply switch companies in-house and you don’t have to do anything. When comparison shopping, we recommend you get rate quotes from at least one independent agent so that you can do a thorough price comparison.
Below are Charlotte independent agencies that are able to give price quotes.
Southeast Insurance Agency
212 S Tryon St #1605 – Charlotte, NC 28281 – (704) 885-8006 – View Map
Lawing – Elvington Insurance Agency
6132 Brookshire Blvd b – Charlotte, NC 28216 – (704) 391-8483 – View Map
Honeycutt Insurance Agency
3121 Springbank Ln F – Charlotte, NC 28226 – (704) 752-8233 – View Map
After you get good answers to all your questions as well as cheaper Charlotte car insurance quotes, you may have found an auto insurance agent that meets the criteria to insure your vehicles. It’s important to know that you can cancel your coverage whenever you choose to so never feel that you’re stuck with the car insurance policy for the full term.
Auto insurance policy specifics
Knowing the specifics of your auto insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find typical coverage types offered by auto insurance companies.
Collision insurance
This coverage covers damage to your vehicle from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims like hitting a mailbox, crashing into a ditch, scraping a guard rail, colliding with another moving vehicle and colliding with a tree. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Comprehensive auto insurance
This pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like fire damage, hitting a bird, hitting a deer and hail damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability coverages
This coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property in an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show policy limits of 30/60/25 that means you have $30,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $60,000, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against claims like bail bonds, court costs, medical services, funeral expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. North Carolina state minimum liability requirements are 30/60/25 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.
The chart below shows why buying low liability limits may not be high enough to cover claims.
Coverage for medical expenses
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses like hospital visits, rehabilitation expenses, surgery, EMT expenses and nursing services. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (30/60/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.
More effort can pay off
We covered a lot of information how to find cheaper coverage online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. Consumers could even find that the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company. They may have significantly lower premium rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.
Some companies do not offer online price quotes and these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent agencies. Budget-conscious car insurance can be found on the web as well as from insurance agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture.
Much more information about car insurance in North Carolina can be found at the links below
- How to Avoid Buying a Flooded Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers with Good Credit in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Charlotte Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Under 25? (FAQ)
- How Much are Charlotte Car Insurance Quotes for a Chevrolet Silverado? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for a Dodge Ram in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for a Learners Permit in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Honda CR-V in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Charlotte Auto Insurance Quotes for 16 Year Olds? (FAQ)
- Hybrid vehicles cost insurers more (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Should I Purchase an Umbrella Liability Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Vehicle Safety Ratings (iihs.org)