It’s hard to believe, but the majority of drivers have bought insurance from the same company for more than four years, and just short of a majority have never compared rates to find affordable insurance. American drivers could save almost $850 each year by just shopping around, but they don’t believe the big savings they would realize if they switched.
It takes a little time, but the best way to get cheaper auto insurance rates in Charlotte is to do a yearly price comparison from providers in North Carolina. Price quotes can be compared by following these steps.
- Step 1: Get an understanding of what coverages are included in your policy and the steps you can take to drop your rates. Many things that increase rates such as speeding and bad credit can be eliminated by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
- Step 2: Request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can provide rate quotes for many different companies.
- Step 3: Compare the new rates to your existing coverage to see if you can save by switching companies. If you find a lower rate, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
One key aspect of rate comparisons is to make sure you enter the same deductibles and limits on every price quote and and to compare as many auto insurance providers as possible. This ensures a level playing field and a thorough price selection.
Locating the most cost-effective car insurance policy in Charlotte can be made easier if you know where to look. Practically anyone who is overpaying for car insurance will more than likely get a lower-priced policy. But North Carolina consumers do need to understand how companies determine premium rates because it can help you find the best coverage.
Just remember that comparing a large number of companies helps locate more affordable rates.
The providers in the list below provide price comparisons in Charlotte, NC. If you want to find cheap auto insurance in Charlotte, NC, it’s highly recommended you click on several of them to find the most competitive auto insurance rates.
Get discounts on Charlotte car insurance
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list the entire discount list in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below details some of the more common as well as some of the hidden savings tricks you should be using when you buy Charlotte auto insurance online. If you are not receiving all the discounts you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Military Rewards – Having an actively deployed family member could be rewarded with lower rates.
- Theft Deterrent – Cars and trucks with anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Full Payment Discount – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to fasten their seat belts can save a little off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Claim Free – Charlotte drivers who stay claim-free get the best car insurance rates in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
- Paperless Signup – Certain insurance companies will give you a small discount for completing your application on the internet.
- Telematics Devices – Insureds that choose to allow companies to spy on their driving habits by using a telematic data system like Allstate’s Drivewise could see a rate decrease as long as the data is positive.
It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, nobody gets a free ride.
Larger car insurance companies and their offered discounts are included below.
- The Hartford includes discounts for driver training, good student, anti-theft, bundle, and vehicle fuel type.
- American Family may offer discounts for defensive driver, bundled insurance, air bags, mySafetyValet, good student, TimeAway discount, and Steer into Savings.
- Progressive may include discounts for continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, online signing, multi-policy, good student, online quote discount, and homeowner.
- Travelers discounts include hybrid/electric vehicle, good student, driver training, IntelliDrive, and payment discounts.
- Farmers Insurance has savings for youthful driver, bundle discounts, multi-car, homeowner, early shopping, and mature driver.
- USAA offers discounts including new vehicle, loyalty savings, defensive driver, safe driver, annual mileage, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include preferred payment discount, good student, multi-car, new move discount, new vehicle discount, exclusive group savings, and teen driver discount.
If you need lower rates, check with each insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. Savings might not be offered on policies in Charlotte. To locate insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Charlotte, click this link.
Three reasons to insure your vehicle
Despite the high cost of buying insurance for a Volkswagen Rabbit in Charlotte, insuring your vehicle serves an important purpose.
- Just about all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require a specific level of liability protection in order to license the vehicle. 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 bought your vehicle with a loan, almost every bank will stipulate that you buy insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you let the policy lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Volkswagen for a much higher rate and force you to pay much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects not only your car but also your assets. It will also pay for most medical and hospital costs for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability coverage also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of having insurance are definitely more than the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. In a recent study of 1,000 drivers, the average customer is wasting up to $800 each year so smart consumers compare quotes each time the policy renews to save money.
Buying from car insurance agents
Some people still prefer to talk to a local agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases An additional benefit of getting free rate quotes online is that you can obtain better rates and still buy from a local agent.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your insurance data gets sent to insurance agents in Charlotte who will return price quotes for your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to do any legwork since rate quotes are delivered instantly to you. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you have a need to compare rates from one company in particular, don’t hesitate to visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.
Selecting an insurer requires you to look at more than just the bottom line cost. Before buying a policy in Charlotte, get answers to these questions.
- If your car is totaled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Do they offer claims assistance after hours?
- How are claims handled?
- Is insurance their full-time profession?
Different types of auto insurance agents in Charlotte
When searching for a reliable insurance agency, you should know the different types of agencies to choose from. Agents can be categorized as either independent or exclusive.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents in the exclusive channel have only one company to place business with such as State Farm or Allstate. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps offset the inability to provide other markets.
Below are Charlotte exclusive agencies that can give you price quote information.
State Farm: Jeremy Fulkerson
4805 Park Rd #103 – Charlotte, NC 28209 – (704) 523-9005 – View Map
Uwem Equan – State Farm Insurance Agent
5412 Central Ave b – Charlotte, NC 28212 – (704) 535-4090 – View Map
Michael Grant – State Farm Insurance Agent
1727 East Blvd – Charlotte, NC 28203 – (704) 373-7444 – View Map
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agencies are normally appointed by many insurers and that enables them to quote your coverage with multiple insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your premiums go up, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparing insurance prices, it’s recommended you get quotes from several independent insurance agents so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare.
Listed below is a list of independent insurance agents in Charlotte that are able to give rate quotes.
Allwood Insurance
3611 Mt Holly-Huntersville Rd #205 – Charlotte, NC 28216 – (704) 395-1239 – View Map
All Points Insurance Agencies
5618 Albemarle Rd # 200 – Charlotte, NC 28212 – (980) 221-9468 – View Map
The Jordan Insurance Agency,LLC
13860 Ballantyne Corporate Pl #120 – Charlotte, NC 28277 – (704) 926-7565 – View Map
After receiving positive responses to your questions and cheap Rabbit insurance quotes, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that can be trusted to adequately provide insurance. Just remember it’s your policy and you can cancel your coverage whenever you want so never assume you’re contractually obligated to a specific company for the full policy term.