We don’t have to point out that fact that insurance companies don’t want you comparing rates. Drivers who get comparison quotes at least once a year will most likely switch auto insurance companies because the odds are good of finding coverage at a cheaper rate. A recent study showed that consumers who regularly shopped around saved on average $865 a year compared to drivers who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding budget-friendly Lincoln Continental insurance is your intention, then learning about how to shop and compare cheaper coverage can save time and make the process easier.
To save the most money, the best way to find discount car insurance rates in Nashville is to do an annual price comparison from insurers that insure vehicles in Tennessee.
- Try to understand how car insurance works and the factors you can control to keep rates down. Many rating factors that cause high rates such as at-fault accidents and a not-so-good credit history can be amended by paying attention to minor details. Continue reading for additional ideas to get affordable coverage and get bigger discounts.
- Compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agents can provide prices from multiple companies.
- Compare the price quotes to the price on your current policy to see if a cheaper price is available in Nashville. If you can save some money and change companies, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Notify your current company to cancel your current coverage and submit the application along with any required down payment to your new company or agent. Immediately upon receiving it, store the certificate verifying proof of insurance with the vehicle registration.
A good piece of advice is to compare identical coverage information on each price quote and and to get price quotes from as many different companies as possible. Doing this enables an accurate price comparison and many rates to choose from.
How to Lower Your Insurance Prices
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help calculate auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can earn you better auto insurance rates. Many factors are considered when you quote your car insurance policy. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, but other criteria are less obvious such as your credit history or your vehicle rating.
- Do safer cars cost less to insure? – Safe vehicles tend to be cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and lower injury rates translates directly to fewer claims and lower rates for you. If the Lincoln Continental earned at least four stars on Safercar.gov it is probably cheaper to insure.
- Improve your credit rating – Having a bad credit score is a big factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Drivers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have bad credit. If your credit can be improved, you could potentially save money when insuring your Lincoln Continental if you clean up your credit.
- Drive lots and pay more – Driving a lot of miles annually the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. A lot of companies charge rates partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos that have low annual miles can be on a lower rate level than those used for commuting. Having the wrong rating on your Continental is just wasting money. It’s a good idea to make sure your declarations sheet properly reflects annual mileage.
- Gender and car insurance costs – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean females are better drivers. Men and women are in accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also receive more costly citations like driving under the influence (DUI). Young males are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
- Bundle home and auto and save – Most auto insurance companies will give discounts to customers that purchase more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you already get this discount, you may still want to compare other company rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Drivers may still save even more than the discount even if you insure with multiple companies
- Advanced alarm systems – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your premiums. Systems that thwart thieves like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all help stop auto theft.
- Occupation stress can make you pay more – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Occupations such as judges, executives, and medical professionals generally pay higher rates than the rest of us attributed to high stress levels and lots of time spent away from family. On the other hand, jobs such as scientists, engineers and homemakers have the lowest average rates.
Lower your car insurance rates with discounts
Car insurance is not cheap, but there could be significant discounts that may help make it more affordable. A few discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about prior to getting the savings.
- Paperless Signup – A few larger online companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy online.
- Pay Early and Save – If you can afford to pay the entire bill instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and earn discounts up to 10% off your Nashville car insurance quote.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Successfully completing a class that teaches defensive driver techniques could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Nashville Homeowners Discount – Owning a home in Nashville can get you a discount because of the fact that having a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Club Memberships – Having an affiliation with a professional or civic organization can get you a small discount on your policy.
- Good Driver Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates compared to accident prone drivers.
- No Accidents – Drivers who don’t have accidents can save substantially in comparison to policyholders that have many claims.
- Telematics Discount – People who choose to allow data collection to study driving manner by using a telematics device like Allstate’s Drivewise may see discounts if they show good driving skills.
Discounts lower rates, but many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Despite the fact that it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck.
If you would like to see a list of insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above in Tennessee, follow this link.
Cover all your bases
People change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, high prices, high rates after DUI convictions and even denial of a claim. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding the right auto insurance provider can be easy and end up saving you some money.
Some companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent agents. Cheaper auto insurance in Nashville can be found both online in addition to many Nashville insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost and still be able to protect your assets.
For more information, link through to the following helpful articles:
- Information for Teen Drivers (GEICO)
- Who Has Affordable Nashville Auto Insurance for Electric Cars? (FAQ)
- Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)