How to Get Lower Car Insurance Rates in Indianapolis

Buying budget quotes might seem problematic for beginners to online price comparisons. With literally dozens of online companies available, how can anyone even start to compare each option to find lower insurance premiums?

Remarkably, a study showed that the vast majority of consumers kept buying from the same company for a minimum of four years, and 38% of customers have never shopped around. Consumers in Indiana can save up to $697 each year just by comparing rates, but they don’t believe the big savings they would realize if they switched to a more affordable policy.

Finding the cheapest auto insurance coverage in Indianapolis can be much easier if you know how to start. Basically, every driver who has to purchase auto insurance should be able to reduce their rates. But Indiana car owners can benefit by having an understanding of how insurance companies calculate their prices and use it to find better rates.

Affordable rates with discounts

Some insurance providers do not advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find both the well known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving when you buy Indianapolis car insurance online.

• Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up before your current expiration date. Ten percent is about the average savings.
• Military Deployment Discount – Having an actively deployed family member could mean lower insurance rates.
• Professional Organizations – Being in specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could earn you a nice discount when getting a Indianapolis car insurance quote.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars and trucks equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts as much as 30%.
• Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for reduced rates.
• Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
• Student in College – Youth drivers living away from Indianapolis attending college and do not have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.

As a footnote on discounts, most credits do not apply to the whole policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way.

Some of the larger companies who may offer most of the discounts above may include but are not limited to:

• The Hartford
• American Family
• Progressive
• Travelers
• Farmers Insurance
• USAA
• Liberty Mutual

When getting free Indianapolis car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to all the companies which discounts you may be entitled to. All car insurance discounts may not apply to policyholders everywhere.

Prices based on married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and Indiana minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Premium costs do not factor in Indianapolis location which can raise or lower auto insurance rates greatly.

Most of the larger companies give coverage prices direct online. Getting car insurance prices online is quite easy as you just type in your required coverages as requested by the quote form. After you complete the form, the quote system requests credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on the information you submitted.

This makes comparing rates easy, and it’s absolutely necessary to have as many quotes as possible in order to get cheaper rates.

To use this form to compare rates, compare rates from the companies below. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive a fair comparison for similar coverage.

The companies shown below can provide free rate quotes in Indiana. If multiple companies are listed, it’s highly recommended you get rates from several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Eight things that affect insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that are used to determine your premiums. If you have a feel for what determines premiums, this allows you to make educated decisions that may result in lower car insurance prices.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces used by companies to determine your rate level.

Lower rates for vehicles with better crash test results – Safe vehicles tend to have lower insurance rates. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection translates directly to fewer claims which can mean better rates for you.

When should you not file policy claims? – Car insurance companies in Indiana provide discounts to people that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for claims that you cannot pay yourself.

Insurance rates for married couples – Being married may save some money on your car insurance policy. Having a spouse translates into being more stable financially and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.

Male rates may be higher – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. The data does not necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Females and males cause auto accidents in similar numbers, but the male of the species get into accidents with more damage. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Young men ages 16 to 20 tend to get in the most accidents and therefore pay the highest rates.

Save money with high credit – An insured’s credit rating can be an important factor in determining what you pay. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your vehicle if you clean up your credit. People with excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have lower credit ratings.

Type of car, truck or SUV determines base costs – The performance level of the car, truck or SUV you are insuring makes a huge difference in your premium level. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars normally have pretty low rates, but your final cost has many other factors.

Driver age impacts prices – More experienced drivers are more cautious drivers, cause fewer claims and accidents, and are safer drivers. Beginning drivers are known to be more careless when driving and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.

Extra coverages push up prices – Insurance policies have a lot of optional add-on coverages that sound like a good idea at the time when buying car insurance. Coverages for replacement cost coverage, accident forgiveness, and extra life insurance coverage are some examples. They may seem good at first, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.

There’s no such thing as the perfect car insurance policy

Always keep in mind that when comparing insurance from an agent or online, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply.
Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining if your situation might need professional guidance.

• When should I remove my kid from my policy?
• What states are considered no-fault?
• Are my company tools covered if they get stolen?
• What is roadside assistance coverage?
• What is an umbrella policy?
• Can I rent a car in Mexico?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Shop online but buy locally

Many drivers prefer to talk to an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind A good thing about comparing car insurance online is you can get cheap car insurance rates and still have an agent to talk to.

After filling out this short form, your information is transmitted to agents in your area who will give competitive quotes for your car insurance coverage. You never need to contact any agents as quotes are delivered to you directly. You can most likely find cheaper rates without having to waste a lot of time. If you need to quote rates for a specific company, don’t hesitate to navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.

Picking the best insurance company needs to be determined by more than just the price. Before buying a policy in Indianapolis, get answers to these questions.

• Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
• Does the agent help file claims?
• Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in Indiana?
• Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
• Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?

If you feel you receive satisfactory answers to all your questions and an affordable coverage quote, you may have just found an insurer that can be relied on to properly insure your vehicles. Just be aware that policyholders can terminate coverage at any time so don’t feel that you are obligated to any specific company with no way to switch.

Insurance is an important decision

Despite the high insurance cost in Indianapolis, maintaining insurance may be mandatory for several reasons.

• Almost all states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to carry a specific level of liability protection if you drive a vehicle. In Indiana 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 you bought your vehicle with a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will require you to have full coverage to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the bank may insure your vehicle at a significantly higher premium and require you to pay the higher price.
• Insurance protects not only your car but also your assets. It will also pay for medical expenses for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, your insurance policy will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.

The benefits of buying enough insurance outweigh the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. Today the average American driver is currently overpaying as much as $830 a year so it’s recommended you shop around at every policy renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Cheap car insurance is out there

We just presented some good ideas how to shop for car insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may even discover the lowest prices come from a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.

When you buy Indianapolis car insurance online, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate, but do not skimp to save money.

Steps to finding more affordable auto insurance in Indianapolis

The best way to find lower priced auto insurance prices is to start comparing prices regularly from providers in Indianapolis. You can compare rates by following these guidelines.

1. Try to learn a little about the coverage provided by your policy and the steps you can take to keep rates low. Many things that drive up the price such as distracted driving and a low credit rating can be improved by paying attention to minor details.
2. Compare price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can give quotes from a single company like GEICO and Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide prices from multiple insurance companies.
3. Compare the price quotes to the price on your current policy to determine if you can save on insurance in Indianapolis. If you find a better price, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.

One thing to remember is to use identical deductibles and limits on each price quote and and to compare as many different companies as possible. This enables an apples-to-apples comparison and a complete rate analysis.

For more information, link through to the articles below:

• Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
• How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Veterans in Indianapolis? (FAQ)
• How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Teenage Males in Indianapolis? (FAQ)
• Choosing an Insurance Company (Insurance Information Institute)
• Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)