Tired of sacrificing to keep your car insured? You’re in the same situation as many other Washington consumers.
Unbelievable but true, most car insurance policyholders in Washington renewed their policy with the same company for a minimum of four years, and almost 40% of drivers have never quoted car insurance rates at all. American insurance shoppers could save almost $860 every year just by shopping around, but most tend to underestimate the rate savings if they changed companies.
You have so many car insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s a good thing to have a selection, it can be more difficult to compare rates and find the lowest cost car insurance.
Consumers should take time to shop coverage around as often as possible since prices are usually higher with each renewal. Even if you got the best price on Saturn Sky insurance in Seattle at your last renewal there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re going to learn the proper way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.
These tips will help you learn the best way to quote coverages and also pocket some savings If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to save money using the concepts you’re about to learn. Although Washington drivers should learn the way companies compete online.
Companies offering Saturn Sky insurance in Seattle
The following companies are ready to provide free quotes in Seattle, WA. If multiple companies are shown, it’s a good idea that you visit two to three different companies to find the lowest car insurance rates.
Cut your car insurance rates with these nine discounts
Car insurance companies don’t list every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list some of the more common and also the more inconspicuous savings tricks you should be using when you buy Seattle car insurance online.
- Distant College Student Discount – Children who are enrolled in higher education away from home and leave their car at home may be able to be covered for less.
- Government Employee Discount – Having worked for a branch of the government could qualify for a slight premium decrease with some car insurance companies.
- Driving Data Discount – Policyholders that allow their car insurance company to study driving manner through the use of a telematics system such as Snapshot from Progressive or Drivewise from Allstate might get better premium rates if they are good drivers.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies and insure them with the same company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Sign Early and Save – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy early. Ten percent is about the average savings.
- Club Memberships – Participating in a qualifying organization is a simple method to lower premiums on your bill.
- Driver Training Discounts – Taking part in a defensive driving course is a good idea and can lower rates and also improve your driving technique.
- Good Grades Discount – Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to buckle up could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
You can save money using discounts, but some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, nobody gets a free ride.
If you would like to choose from a list of providers that offer some of these discounts in Seattle, click here.
Local Seattle insurance agents and insurance
Many people still prefer to get professional advice from a licensed agent and doing so can bring peace of mind One of the benefits of getting online price quotes is you can get cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local. Putting coverage with local agents is still important in Seattle.
After completing this short form, the quote information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Seattle that can give you free Seattle car insurance quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to find an agent since rate quotes are delivered directly to your email. You can find lower rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you need to quote rates from a specific company, you can always search and find their rate quote page and fill out their quote form.
Multiple types of car insurance agents in Seattle
When finding a local agent, it can be helpful to understand the different agency structures and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agents in Seattle can either be independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer.
Independent Insurance Agents
These type of agents are normally appointed by many insurers and that allows them to write policies with a variety of different insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move your policy to a different company which is easy for the insured.
If you are trying to find cheaper rates, it’s recommended you get rate quotes from several independent insurance agents to maximize your price options.
Featured below is a small list of independent agents in Seattle who may be able to give you comparison quotes.
BGI Agency Network Inc
4634 E Marginal Way S C 140 – Seattle, WA 98134 – (206) 682-9990 – View Map
Michael Wong Insurance
1200 Westlake Ave N #607 – Seattle, WA 98109 – (206) 284-0171 – View Map
Ati Agency Inc
2150 N 107th St # 460 – Seattle, WA 98133 – (206) 522-9200 – View Map
Exclusive Agents
Agents of this type can only provide pricing for a single company like State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. They are unable to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.
Below are exclusive insurance agencies in Seattle who can help you get price quotes.
Terry Gangon – State Farm Insurance Agent
4727 44th Ave SW Ste 100 – Seattle, WA 98116 – (206) 935-9955 – View Map
Chris Gibbens – State Farm Insurance Agent
607 W McGraw St – Seattle, WA 98119 – (206) 331-4864 – View Map
Mark Hafemeister – State Farm Insurance Agent
14322 Lake City Way NE – Seattle, WA 98125 – (206) 365-0600 – View Map
Finding a good auto insurance agent should include more criteria than just the bottom line cost. Some important questions to ask are:
- Does the company have a local claim office in Seattle?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Is there a Errors and Omissions policy in force?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- How long has the business existed?
- Are they full-time agents?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
Car insurance 101
Having a good grasp of a auto insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the usual coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.
Coverage for liability
Liability coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property by causing an accident. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show limits of 25/50/10 which stand for $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $10,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for claims such as court costs, medical expenses and pain and suffering. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Washington state law requires minimum liability limits of 25/50/10 but drivers should carry higher limits.
Collision coverage
This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Sky resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against things like scraping a guard rail, sideswiping another vehicle, damaging your car on a curb, colliding with a tree and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible on your Sky to bring the cost down.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as hitting a deer, a broken windshield, vandalism, damage from flooding and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Medical costs insurance
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills for pain medications, dental work, rehabilitation expenses and ambulance fees. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available and may carry a deductible
UM/UIM Coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Saturn Sky.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Find cheaper rates by being thorough
Some insurance providers may not provide the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agencies. Cheaper auto insurance in Seattle is available from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates.
Throughout this article, we presented many tips how you can get a better price on Saturn Sky insurance in Seattle. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the most savings is with the smaller companies. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like GEICO and State Farm.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price.
To learn more, take a look at these articles:
- Vehicle Insurance (Wikipedia)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for a Honda CR-V in Seattle? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Seniors in Seattle? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Seattle Car Insurance Rates for Unemployed Drivers? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers with Bad Credit in Seattle? (FAQ)
- How Much is Seattle Auto Insurance for Drivers with Accidents? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Seattle Auto Insurance for a Honda Civic? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Seattle Auto Insurance for a Dodge Grand Caravan? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Seattle Car Insurance Quotes for Active Military? (FAQ)
- Teen Driver Licensing Information (iihs.org)
- Collision Insurance Coverage (Nationwide)