Did a good deal turn out to be an expensive car insurance policy? Trust us, you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.
A study showed that the vast majority of car insurance customers have stayed with the same insurance company for a minimum of four years, and practically 40% of car insurance customers have never compared rates with other companies. Washington consumers could pocket roughly 40% a year by just comparing rate quotes, but they mistakenly think it’s difficult to find lower-cost car insurance rates. Big-name insurance companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm increase brand awareness with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to avoid their marketing magic and find the best price available.
It is always a good idea to compare prices at least once a year since rates fluctuate regularly. If you had the best premium rates on Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in Seattle a few years ago there is a good chance you can find better prices now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the right way to find lower rates on car insurance.
Most larger insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO allow consumers to get prices for coverage on the web. Getting Pontiac Grand Prix insurance prices online is quite simple because it’s just a matter of typing in your required coverages into a form. Once you submit the form, their rating system automatically retrieves your credit score and driving record and generates a price based on many factors. Being able to quote online for Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in Seattle makes comparing rates easy, and it is imperative to perform this step if you want to find a lower rate.
If you want to compare rates using this form now, check out the auto insurance providers below. To compare your current rates, we recommend you replicate the coverages exactly as shown on your declarations page. This helps ensure you are getting rate comparison quotes for exact coverage.
The following companies provide free quotes in Seattle, WA. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you click on several of them to get the most affordable price.
Protect more than your Pontiac Grand Prix
Despite the fact that insurance is not cheap in Seattle, insuring your vehicle is a good idea for several reasons.
- Most states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to buy specific minimum amounts of liability coverage if you don’t want to risk a ticket. In Washington these limits are 25/50/10 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your Grand Prix has a lien holder, more than likely the lender will stipulate that you buy full coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totalled. If you default on your policy, the bank will be required to insure your Pontiac at an extremely high rate and force you to pay for the much more expensive policy.
- Insurance preserves both your assets and your car. It also can pay for all forms of medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also pays for attorney fees and expenses in the event you are sued. If your Pontiac gets damaged, collision and comprehensive coverages will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of insuring your Grand Prix definitely exceed the price paid, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver overpays as much as $820 a year so compare rates at least once a year to make sure the price is not too high.
Why Your Insurance Premiums might be higher
Many things are used in the calculation when premium rates are determined. Most are fairly basic such as your driving history, although some other factors are more obscure such as your credit history or how safe your car is.
Cut rates and deter theft – Owning a car with advanced anti-theft systems can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft features like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
Your liability limits – Liability coverage is the protection if you are ruled to be at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. This coverage is relatively inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Mature drivers save more – More mature drivers are shown to be more cautious, statistically cause fewer accidents, and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.Youthful drivers have been known to be more careless when driving with friends so they pay higher auto insurance rates.
Occupation stress can make you pay more – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Occupational choices like military personnel, architects and accountants tend to have higher average rates because of job stress and long work days. On the other hand, jobs such as farmers, historians and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
Increase physical damage deductibles to save – Protection for physical damage, also called ‘full coverage’, covers damage that occurs to your Pontiac. Examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, flood damage, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Seattle insurance discounts for a Pontiac Grand Prix
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we researched some of the more common as well as some of the hidden discounts that may be available.
- Distant College Student Discount – Any of your kids who are enrolled in higher education away from home and leave their car at home could qualify for this discount.
- Senior Citizens – Older drivers can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Driver’s Education for Students – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers complete a driver education course in school.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles are less likely to be stolen and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Seattle Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a house in Seattle may trigger a policy discount on insurance because of the fact that having a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
- Life Insurance – Not all companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a break if you buy a life policy as well.
- First Accident Forgiveness – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like State Farm and Allstate permit an accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
- Safe Driver Discounts – Safe drivers can save up to 40% or more on their Seattle car insurance quote compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
You can save money using discounts, but most discount credits are not given to the whole policy. Most cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Despite the appearance that you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Larger insurance companies and their offered discounts can be read below.
- State Farm may include discounts for anti-theft, accident-free, passive restraint, defensive driving training, and multiple policy.
- Progressive has savings for multi-vehicle, online signing, continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, online quote discount, and good student.
- Travelers offers discounts for hybrid/electric vehicle, continuous insurance, student away at school, home ownership, driver training, multi-policy, and new car.
- American Family discounts include good driver, bundled insurance, multi-vehicle, good student, defensive driver, and mySafetyValet.
- Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for new vehicle discount, hybrid vehicle, teen driver discount, exclusive group savings, new graduate, and safety features.
Before you buy a policy, ask every prospective company which credits you are entitled to. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply in your state. For a list of insurance companies who offer insurance discounts in Seattle, click this link.
Do I need special coverages?
Always keep in mind that when comparing the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
For instance, these questions might help in determining whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.
- Do I have ACV or replacement cost coverage?
- When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
- When should I remove my kid from my policy?
- Does insurance cover tools stolen from my truck?
- Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
- Does car insurance cover theft of personal property?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
Neighborhood agents and auto insurance
Many people just want to have an agent’s advice and that can be a smart move Experienced insurance agents are trained risk managers and help file insurance claims. A nice benefit of comparing auto insurance online is the fact that you can find lower rates and also buy local. Buying insurance from local insurance agencies is still important in Seattle.
After filling out this simple form, your coverage information is transmitted to participating agents in Seattle who will give competitive quotes for your coverage. You never need to leave your house as quotes are delivered instantly to you. If you wish to compare rates from a specific insurance company, don’t hesitate to go to their quote page and give them your coverage information.
If you are wanting to purchase auto insurance from an insurance agent, there are a couple of types of agencies and how they function. Auto insurance agencies are considered either independent agents or exclusive agents. Both write auto insurance policies, but we need to point out the differences since it could factor into your agent selection.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents of this type are normally appointed by many insurers and that is an advantage because they can write policies amongst many companies and potentially find a lower price. If they quote lower rates, your agent can just switch to a different company which requires no work on your part.
If you are comparing rate quotes, you will want to include price quotes from several independent insurance agents in order to compare the most rates.
Shown below is a small list of independent agents in Seattle who can help you get rate quotes.
Sound Insurance Agency, Inc.
9627 Aurora Ave N – Seattle, WA 98103 – (206) 527-0888 – View Map
Norwest Insurance Agency
5191 S Spencer St – Seattle, WA 98118 – (206) 965-8140 – View Map
Magnolia Insurance Agency, Inc.
3424 W McGraw St – Seattle, WA 98199 – (206) 284-4886 – View Map
Exclusive Agents
Exclusive insurance agents work for only one company such as Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. They are unable to provide other company’s prices so they really need to provide good service. Exclusive agents are well schooled on their company’s products and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
The following are exclusive agencies in Seattle who can help you get comparison quotes.
Brent Amacher – State Farm Insurance Agent
2319 California Ave SW Ste A – Seattle, WA 98116 – (206) 935-0499 – View Map
George Fu – State Farm Insurance Agent
9026 Roosevelt Way NE – Seattle, WA 98115 – (206) 524-0330 – View Map
Lucho Singh – State Farm Insurance Agent
1420 Harvard Ave – Seattle, WA 98122 – (206) 329-4450 – View Map
Deciding on an insurance agent requires you to look at more than just a cheap price. A good agent in Seattle will have answers to these questions.
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- Will one accident increase rates?
- How long has the business existed?
- Where would glass claims be handled in Seattle?
- How many years of experience in personal auto insurance do they have?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
If you feel you receive positive responses to your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that is reputable and can adequately provide auto insurance. Keep in mind you are able to terminate your policy whenever you choose to so don’t feel that you’re stuck with any particular company with no way out.
Cheap rates are available
Insureds leave their current company for any number of reasons including high prices, poor customer service, extreme rates for teen drivers or lack of trust in their agent. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching car insurance companies is less work than it seems.
Budget-friendly car insurance in Seattle can be purchased on the web as well as from insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get quotes online and many times these smaller providers prefer to sell through independent insurance agents.
When you buy Seattle car insurance online, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, an accident victim reduced full coverage to discover at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at the lowest possible cost.
For more information, feel free to visit the articles below:
- Determing Auto Insurance Rates (GEICO)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Low Mileage Drivers in Seattle? (FAQ)
- How Much are Seattle Car Insurance Quotes for a Ford Explorer? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Seattle Auto Insurance for a Ford F-150? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for a 20 Year Old Female in Seattle? (FAQ)
- How Much is Seattle Auto Insurance for a Honda Accord? (FAQ)
- What is Covered by an Auto Insurance Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)