How to Save on Auto Insurance in Kent

Want to learn how to save money and find more affordable auto insurance rates in Kent, WA? If you are new to getting Kent auto insurance quotes online, you may be overwhelmed by the vast number insurance agents and companies offering coverage in Kent.

A recent auto insurance study revealed that the majority of drivers have purchased from the same company for four years or more, and nearly 40% of drivers have never shopped around. With the average premium in Washington being $1,200, drivers could save about $427 every year by just comparing quotes, but they don’t understand how simple it is to find cheap auto insurance rates.

You should make it a habit to quote other rates on a regular basis since prices change frequently. Despite the fact that you may have had the best quotes on auto insurance last year there may be better deals available now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the fastest way to find better coverage on auto insurance at a better price.

If you have insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to find the best rates using the ideas presented in this article. The purpose of this article is to teach you how to effectively get price quotes and some money-saving tips. Nevertheless, Washington drivers can benefit by having an understanding of how insurance companies calculate your insurance rates because rates fluctuate considerably.

Just keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding better pricing.

The companies in the list below can provide comparison quotes in Kent, WA. If multiple providers are shown, it’s highly recommended you get prices from several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Data assumes married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Premium costs do not factor in specific zip code location which can revise premiums significantly.

Full coverage versus liability only rates

The illustration below examines Nissan Altima insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The prices are based on a clean driving record, no claims, $1,000 deductibles, married male driver, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Nissan Altima rates are for example purposes only. To get rates for your specific vehicle, click here.

When to stop paying for full coverage

There is no clear-cut rule to stop paying for physical damage insurance, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s say your Nissan Altima book value is $9,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $8,000 after paying your deductible. If you are currently paying more than $800 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are a few situations where removing full coverage is not a good idea. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to keep full coverage to satisfy the loan requirements. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should maintain full coverage.

Cheap Kent insurance quotes with discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that you may not know about. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but a few must be specifically requested before they will apply. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you could be paying more than you need to.

• New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new model year vehicles.
• E-sign Discounts – Certain larger companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy online.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Drivers who insure primary and secondary vehicles with the same company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
• Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts could see savings of up to 25% or more.
• Home Ownership Discount – Simply owning a home can get you a discount because owning a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
• Defensive Driver Discounts – Passing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down could earn cheaper prices.
• Drive Safe and Save – Insureds who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less than their less cautious counterparts.
• Claim-Free Discount – Claim-free drivers have much lower rates in comparison to accident-prone drivers.
• Waiver for an Accident – Not a discount per se, but certain companies will let one accident slide without the usual rate increase if you are claim-free for a specific time period.

A quick disclaimer, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Despite the appearance that all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any amount of discount will cut the cost of your policy.

The best insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts include:

• State Farm has savings for safe vehicle, good driver, defensive driving training, Drive Safe & Save, and anti-theft.
• American Family may offer discounts for bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, early bird, multi-vehicle, defensive driver, Steer into Savings, and accident-free.
• AAA offers discounts for AAA membership discount, multi-policy, anti-theft, good student, good driver, multi-car, and education and occupation.
• GEICO has discounts for five-year accident-free, seat belt use, good student, daytime running lights, and federal employee.
• Mercury Insurance includes discounts for accident-free, annual mileage, multi-policy, type of vehicle, and location of vehicle.
• Farmers Insurance offers discounts including distant student, early shopping, mature driver, good student, and alternative fuel.
• Progressive discounts include continuous coverage, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, good student, online signing, and homeowner.

Before buying, ask every prospective company to give you their best rates. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in Kent. To locate companies with the best insurance discounts in Washington, click here to view.

Four ways to get car insurance more affordably in Kent

When buying car insurance it’s important to understand some of the things that help determine car insurance rates. If you know what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that could help you find lower premium levels. Lots of factors are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Most are fairly basic such as your driving history, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.

Listed below are a few of the “ingredients” utilized by car insurance companies to help set your rate level.

• Car insurance rates and age – Young drivers in Washington have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted in a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, cause fewer claims and accidents, and receive fewer citations.
• Filing car insurance claims can increase rates – Insurance companies in Washington generally give cheaper rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. If you file a lot of claims you can expect higher premiums or even policy non-renewal. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of claims that you cannot pay yourself.
• Safeguard your assets with liability protection – The liability section of your policy will provide protection if a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Your policy’s liability insurance provides legal defense coverage which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.
• Qualify for multi-policy discounts – Most insurers allow better rates to insureds who carry more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. The discount can add up to as much as ten percent or more Even though this discount sounds good, consumers should still compare other rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.There is a chance you can save more without the discount by buying car insurance from a different company.

Car insurance agents are trained to help

Some consumers would rather buy from a local agent. A good thing about comparing car insurance online is that you can find cheap rate quotes and still buy from a local agent. Buying from neighborhood agents is still important in Kent.

Once you complete this quick form, your insurance data is transmitted to agents in your area who will give competitive quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go to you. You can find the lowest rates without having to waste a lot of time. If you need to get a price quote from a specific insurance company, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.

If you are searching for an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Car insurance policy providers can be described as either exclusive or independent.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

These type of agents are not limited to a single company so as a result can place your coverage with any number of different companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can just switch to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies.

When shopping rates, it’s recommended you get some free quotes from at least one independent agent so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare. Most independent agents also contract with smaller mutual companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.

Featured below is a partial list of independent agents in Kent that can give you cheap rate quotes.

• Bell-Anderson Insurance
  600 SW 39th St #200 – Renton, WA 98057 – (425) 276-7356 – View Map
• Young Insurance Agency LLC
  415 1st St NE – Auburn, WA 98002 – (253) 333-2426 – View Map
• Vern Fonk
  23830 Pacific Hwy S #101 – Kent, WA 98032 – (253) 943-2212 – View Map

More insurance agents

Exclusive Insurance Agencies

Agents that elect to be exclusive can only provide one company’s prices and examples are AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. They generally cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agents are usually quite knowledgeable on sales techniques and that enables them to sell even at higher rates. Consumers frequently buy insurance from these agents primarily because of the brand rather than having low rates.

Shown below is a short list of exclusive insurance agents in Kent who can help you get rate quotes.

• American Family Insurance – Kiet Pham
  25228 104th Ave SE Ste 101 – Kent, WA 98030 – (800) 701-5909 – View Map
• Farmers Insurance: Myron Johnson
  419 1st Ave S – Kent, WA 98032 – (253) 852-3660 – View Map
• Farmers Insurance – Ronald Osborne
  8009 S 180th St #102 – Kent, WA 98032 – (425) 291-9176 – View Map

More insurance agents

Deciding on a auto insurance agent requires more thought than just a low price. Get answers to these questions too.

• Does the company use OEM repair parts?
• What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
• Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
• Do they specialize in personal lines coverage in Kent?
• What companies can they write with?
• Can you get a list of referrals?

Why you might not save $436 a year

Big name companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive regularly use ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you change your policy. How is it plausible that every one can claim to save you money? This is the way they can do it.

Different companies give the best rates for the type of driver that will generate a profit. A good example of a desirable risk may be over the age of 45, has other policies, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. A propective insured that fits those parameters will probably get the lowest premium rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.

People who fall short of those standards will probably have to pay higher rates and this can result in the customer not buying. The wording the ads use say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

That is why drivers should quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict with any certainty which company will have the lowest auto insurance rates for your situation.

One last thing to lower rates

We just covered many tips how you can get a better price on auto insurance in Kent. The key thing to remember is the more you quote Kent auto insurance, the higher your chance of finding low cost Kent auto insurance quotes. You may even find the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

Insureds switch companies for many reasons like policy cancellation, denial of a claim, unfair underwriting practices or even extreme rates for teen drivers. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company is easier than you think.

Low-cost auto insurance in Kent is definitely available on the web and from local insurance agents, so you need to quote Kent auto insurance with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

Additional detailed information can be found by following these links:

• Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• How Much is Seattle Auto Insurance for a Honda Accord? (FAQ)
• New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)