Car insurance is an expensive necessity. However, there are many discounts and rate reductions available. The biggest discount is having multiple policies with the same company. It is usually to your benefit to keep your home and auto insurance with the same company. In doing this, you will get hefty discounts on both policies. Another large discount is having proof of prior car insurance. Insurance companies are able to fully underwrite you when they can see your insurance history. They want to know what coverages you carried and how long you were with the previous company. This gives them a better idea as to how you drive and, in return, they give a considerable discount that gets larger the higher your limits and length of time you were with the previous company.
There are also discounts for being a homeowner, having multiple cars, being violation free, participation in telematics, getting a quote in advance, having anti-theft devices, and of course being accident free.
If you do not own a home, there are lesser-weighted versions of the discount. For example, you can still get this if you live in an apartment, condo, or rental home—it’s just not as large as the discount for owning a home.
Most insurance companies offer a discount for having multiple cars on the same policy. The discount maxes out at four vehicles, but this can really help those who have multiple cars.
It should be common logic that if you don’t have an accident or violation, you get a discount. Most companies pitch this as a discount but it is really a rate reduction. Meaning you are charged a lower rate for the coverage instead of just having the final premium discounted. As long as you don’t have tickets or cause accidents, your car insurance rates should always be favorable.
Just like everything else, car insurance is becoming more tech savvy. Insurance companies now have their own “telematics” programs. This is the device you plug in to your car to monitor your driving. In return, you are awarded a discount that reflects the way you drive. It is important to understand each company’s program. There are some companies that may surcharge you based on your driving. That means they can increase your premium if they deem your driving to be unfavorable. With that said, most people still experience more than 10% in discounts per vehicle for completing the program.
A little known hero discount is the “Advanced Quote Discount”. If you get a quote with an effective date at least 8 days in the future, a sizeable discount is applied. Each insurance company is different but most offer this discount. So plan ahead! If you know you are buying a vehicle soon, don’t wait until the day you buy the car to also buy insurance because you will miss out on this discount!
There are discounts available for anti-theft devices in your vehicle—most of which come standard on the vehicle. For instance, a vehicle recovery system gets a better discount than the horn only alarm.
Call Hennessey, Thames and Leavitt Insurance in Vicksburg, MS to discuss discounts available on your car insurance 601-636-5560.
