Being forced to pay for high-priced auto insurance premiums can dwindle your savings account and put a big crunch on your finances. Shopping your coverage around is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill.
It’s an obvious statement that insurance companies don’t want you to look at other companies. People who do rate comparisons will probably buy a new policy because there is a good chance of finding a lower rate. A survey found that people who compared rates annually saved approximately $70 a month as compared to drivers who don’t regularly compare prices.
If finding budget-friendly rates on insurance in Charlotte is your ultimate target, then knowing how to get rate quotes and compare cheaper coverage can make it easier for you to save money. You have so many insurers to insure vehicles with, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, more choices can make it harder to compare rates and find the lowest cost auto insurance.
Consumers need to quote other rates on a regular basis because prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you found the best quotes on Toyota Corolla iM insurance in Charlotte last year you may be paying too much now. There is lot of inaccurate information about Corolla iM insurance on the web, but in this article, you’re going to get some proven techniques to find cheap auto insurance in Charlotte.
Low Cost auto insurance in Charlotte, NC
The following companies are ready to provide quotes in North Carolina. To find the cheapest auto insurance in Charlotte, we recommend you visit several of them in order to find the most competitive rates.
Learn How to Lower Your Insurance Premiums
One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the elements that come into play when calculating your premiums. If you know what determines base rates, this helps enable you to make changes that could help you find cheaper rates.
- Liability protection preserves assets – Your car insurance policy’s liability coverage kicks in if ever you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. This coverage provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to other policy coverages, so buy as much as you can afford.
- Pay more for higher performance vehicles – The performance level of the car, truck or SUV you drive makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. Smaller low performance passenger vehicles usually are quite affordable to insure, but your final cost has many other factors.
- Gender as a rate factor – Over time, data shows females are less aggressive when driving. However, don’t assume that females are better at driving than males. They both are responsible for fender benders in similar numbers, but males have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 generally have the highest accident percentage and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
- Job reflects on premiums – Occupational choices like doctors, executives, and stock brokers tend to have higher rates than the rest of us in part from high stress levels and lots of time spent away from family. Conversely, careers such as farmers, athletes and retirees have lower than average premiums.
- What’s your car’s NHTSA crash test rating? – Cars with five star safety ratings tend to have lower insurance rates. Highly rated vehicles reduce occupant injuries and fewer injuries translates directly to fewer claims and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Toyota Corolla iM scored at minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may pay a lower rate.
- Increase comp and collision deductibles and save – Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles define the amount the insured will be required to pay if the claim is covered. Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of some claims that would be covered are collision with another vehicle, hail damage, and damage caused by road hazards. The more expense you choose to pay out-of-pocket, the less money you will pay for car insurance.
- Discounts for multiple policies – Some companies provide discounts for people that purchase more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you qualify for this discount already, it’s always a smart idea to compare other company rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.
- Premiums are affected by your address – Choosing to live in smaller towns and rural areas of the country has definite advantages when talking about car insurance. Fewer drivers on the road means reduced accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. People who live in big cities have more aggressive driving styles and longer commutes to work. Spending more time driving means higher likelihood of an accident.
Get cheaper rates with discounts
Some insurers don’t always list all discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the more common and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If you do not double check each discount available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Student in College – Youth drivers living away from Charlotte attending college and do not take a car to college may be able to be covered for less.
- Smart Student Discounts – Being a good student can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
- Own a Home and Save – Owning a house in Charlotte may earn you a small savings because it requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Active Military Service – Being on active deployment in the military could mean lower prices.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Some insurance carriers give lower car insurance rates if you buy a life policy as well.
- Waiver for an Accident – Not a discount per se, but a few companies such as State Farm and Allstate allow you one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Low Miles Discount – Keeping the miles down on your Toyota can earn better car insurance rates on cars that stay parked.
Don’t be surprised that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Despite the appearance that all those discounts means the company will pay you, nobody gets a free ride.
A list of companies and their offered discounts are included below.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for anti-theft, air bag, driver training, vehicle fuel type, defensive driver, and bundle.
- American Family may include discounts for defensive driver, TimeAway discount, early bird, bundled insurance, accident-free, Steer into Savings, and good driver.
- Progressive offers discounts for online quote discount, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, good student, online signing, homeowner, and continuous coverage.
- Travelers may have discounts that include student away at school, new car, good student, continuous insurance, early quote, multi-policy, and payment discounts.
- Farmers Insurance has savings for homeowner, pay in full, teen driver, bundle discounts, good student, distant student, and early shopping.
- USAA policyholders can earn discounts including defensive driver, multi-policy, good student, annual mileage, loyalty savings, family discount, and safe driver.
- Liberty Mutual includes discounts for new graduate, preferred payment discount, exclusive group savings, good student, and hybrid vehicle.
Before purchasing a policy, check with every prospective company which discounts they offer. Savings may not apply in your area. To locate car insurance companies who offer online Toyota Corolla iM insurance quotes in Charlotte, follow this link.
Local Charlotte insurance agents
Some consumers would rather have an agent’s advice and that is OK! Most agents are trained risk managers and will help you if you have claims. The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is that you can find cheap car insurance rates and still buy from a local agent.
Once you complete this form (opens in new window), your information is submitted to agents in your area that can provide free Charlotte car insurance quotes for your business. You never need to leave your house since rate quotes are delivered directly to you. If you need to get a price quote from a specific insurance company, don’t hesitate to navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.
Finding a good insurance company requires you to look at more than just the price. Here are some questions you might want to ask.
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- How long have they been in business?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Do the agents have professional certifications like CPCU or CIC?
If you’re trying to find an insurance agent, it’s helpful to know the different agency structures and how they can quote your rates. Car insurance policy providers are either independent agents or exclusive agents. Either type can sell affordable car insurance policies, but it’s good to learn the subtle differences since it can impact buying decisions.
Exclusive Agents
Agents of this type can only quote rates from one company and some examples include Farmers Insurance, State Farm, or Allstate. They usually cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agencies receive extensive training on their company’s products and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
Below are Charlotte exclusive insurance agents willing to provide price quote information.
Alex Williamson – State Farm Insurance Agent
4108 Park Rd #106 – Charlotte, NC 28209 – (704) 525-9995 – View Map
George Pettice – State Farm Insurance Agent
820 Tyvola Rd #103 – Charlotte, NC 28217 – (704) 523-1717 – View Map
Howard Johnson Jr – State Farm Insurance Agent
5342 Docia Crossing Rd a – Charlotte, NC 28269 – (704) 947-7233 – View Map
Independent Car Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents can sell policies from many different companies and that enables them to quote your coverage with multiple insurance companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If they find a lower price, they simply move the coverage in-house and you can keep the same agent.
If you are comparing rate quotes, we highly recommend that you include rate quotes from at least one independent agent so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare.
Listed below are independent agencies in Charlotte that can give you comparison quotes.
Pegram Insurance Agency
9010 Glenwater Dr #103 – Charlotte, NC 28262 – (704) 494-9495 – View Map
Biggs Insurance Group
13850 Ballantyne Corporate Pl #500 – Charlotte, NC 28277 – (704) 369-5270 – View Map
Mark McDuffie Insurance Agency
6101 Carnegie Blvd #415 – Charlotte, NC 28209 – (704) 364-9227 – View Map
Cheaper car insurance rates are possible
You just read a lot of information how to reduce Toyota Corolla iM insurance rates online in Charlotte. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding cheaper Charlotte car insurance quotes. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates are with a small local company. Smaller companies can often provide lower auto insurance rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Steps to saving money on Toyota Corolla iM insurance in Charlotte
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to find affordable car insurance rates in Charlotte is to start doing an annual price comparison from insurance carriers in North Carolina.
- First, get a basic knowledge of how insurance works and the measures you can take to lower rates. Many factors that increase rates like your driving record and a not-so-good credit history can be improved by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
- Second, compare price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Third, compare the quotes to your current policy premium and see if you can save money. If you can save money, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, notify your company or agent of your decision to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit payment and a signed application to the new company. As soon as you can, put the certificate verifying proof of insurance with the vehicle registration.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to try to use identical limits and deductibles on each quote and and to get prices from as many companies as you can. Doing this guarantees an accurate price comparison and a good representation of prices.
Even more information is available by following these links:
- Distracted Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a Honda Accord in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Charlotte Auto Insurance Rates for a Toyota RAV4? (FAQ)
- Preventing Carjacking and Theft (Insurance Information Institute)
- How to Avoid Common Accidents (State Farm)
- Airbag FAQ (iihs.org)
- Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Institute)