How to Save on Car Insurance in Alpharetta

Trying to find cheaper insurance for a new or used car in Georgia can turn out to be a lot of work, but you can follow these tips to find lower rates. There is a right way and a wrong way to compare car insurance rates and you need to know the absolute fastest way to quote coverages for a and locate the best price possible.

If you’re already insured or just want cheaper rates, you can use these techniques to reduce premiums without having to cut coverage. Obtaining price quotes for the cheapest protection in Alpharetta is quite easy. Smart shoppers just have to know how to shop using one simple form.

Learn how to lower your auto insurance costs

Many factors are part of the calculation when you quote your car insurance policy. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but some are more transparent such as whether you are married or your financial responsibility. The best way to find cheaper auto insurance is to take a look at a few of the rating criteria that aid in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. If you know what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that could result in better auto insurance rates.

The list below includes some of the things used by your company to calculate prices.

Multi-policy discounts can save money – Most larger insurers will award a discount to policyholders that purchase more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. If you currently are using one company, you still need to compare rates to help ensure you have the lowest rates. You may still save more without the discount even if you have your coverage with different companies

Where you call home – Residing in smaller towns and rural areas of the country is a good thing if you are looking for the lowest rates. Fewer people means a lower chance of having an accident. People in densely populated areas have to deal with more traffic problems and much longer commute distances. More time on the road means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.

Does car insurance cost less for women? – Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean females are better drivers. Females and males get in accidents at a similar rate, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to receive more costly citations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.

Less chance of injury means lower prices – Cars with five star safety ratings can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and fewer serious injuries means your insurance company pays less and lower rates for you.

Fast cars cost more to insure – The performance of the vehicle you are insuring makes a substantial difference in your premium level. The most favorable rates will normally be found when insuring the lowest performance passenger vehicles, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.

Getting low cost car insurance pricing is actually quite simple. Just take a few minutes comparing rates to see which company has low cost Alpharetta car insurance quotes.

The providers in the list below are our best choices to provide free rate quotes in Alpharetta, GA. If several companies are displayed, we recommend you visit as many as you can to find the most competitive car insurance rates.

Prices based on married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Georgia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Premium amounts do not factor in specific zip code location which can revise price quotes considerably.

Comparison of full coverage and liability-only policies

The illustration below shows the comparison of GMC Acadia car insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The data assumes no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, single female driver, and no discounts are applied.

GMC Acadia rates are for example purposes only. To get rates for your specific vehicle, click here.

Guidelines for eliminating full coverage

There is no set rule to stop buying comp and collision coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of coverage is more than around 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s assume your GMC Acadia settlement value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most your company will settle for is $6,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying more than $600 annually for full coverage, then it might be time to buy liability only.

There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not recommended. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage to satisfy the loan requirements. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not buy liability only.

Insurance rate increases from tickets or accidents

The chart below illustrates how speeding tickets and accidents impact Ford F-150 insurance costs for each different age category. The premiums assume a single female driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.

Ford F-150 rates are for example purposes only. To get rates for your specific vehicle, click here.

Are insurance companies telling the truth?

Georgia drivers can’t get away from all the ads that claim the cheapest premium rates from companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all tend to make the same promise about savings if you move your insurance policy to them.

But how can every company give you a lower rate on insurance? It’s all in the words they use.

All companies have specific criteria for the type of customer that will generate a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 45, has no tickets, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Anyone that fits those parameters will probably get the lowest prices and will cut their rates substantially.

Insureds who may not quite match these criteria will be charged a higher rate which translates to the prospect going elsewhere. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “people who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much when switching. That’s why insurance companies can confidently state the savings. Because of this risk profiling, you absolutely need to do a rate comparison at every renewal. It is just not possible to predict with any certainty which company will have the best premium rates at this point in time.

Insurance is not optional

Despite the high cost, buying insurance may not be optional for several reasons.

• Most states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires a specific level of liability coverage in order to license the vehicle. In Georgia these limits are 25/50/25 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
• If you took out a loan on your vehicle, it’s most likely the lender will force you to buy full coverage to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you do not keep the policy in force, the bank may buy a policy for your vehicle at an extremely high rate and force you to reimburse them the higher premium.
• Insurance protects your vehicle and your assets. Insurance will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you cause an accident and are sued. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.

The benefits of buying insurance definitely exceed the price paid, especially when you need to use it. Unknowingly, the average driver overpays more than $865 each year so compare rates every year to save money.

Don’t overlook these auto insurance discounts

Auto insurance is expensive, but there are discounts available that many consumers don’t even know exist. Many discounts should be triggered at the time of purchase, but some need to be requested specifically before they will apply.

• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and the ABS can save up to 10%.
• Service Members Pay Less – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower auto insurance rates.
• Senior Citizen Rates – Older drivers may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
• Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a course in defensive driver could possibly earn you a 5% discount and make you a better driver.
• Include Life Insurance and Save – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy some life insurance too.
• College Student – Kids who are attending college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle could get you a discount.
• Discount for Swiching Early – Some larger companies provide a discount for buying a new policy early. This discount can save up to 10%.
• Alpharetta Homeowners Discount – Just being a homeowner can help you save on auto insurance because of the fact that having a home demonstrates responsibility.
• Discounts for Responsible Drivers – Drivers without accidents can save as much as half off their rates than less cautious drivers.
• Driver’s Education for Students – Have your child enroll and complete driver’s education as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Just because you may think all those discounts means the company will pay you, you aren’t that lucky.

A list of auto insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:

• GEICO may have discounts that include five-year accident-free, anti-theft, emergency military deployment, driver training, daytime running lights, seat belt use, and air bags.
• Mercury Insurance offers premium reductions for low natural disaster claims, type of vehicle, annual mileage, location of vehicle, and accident-free.
• Farmers Insurance may include discounts for alternative fuel, early shopping, homeowner, youthful driver, teen driver, electronic funds transfer, and business and professional.
• Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including anti-theft, teen driver, paid in full, anti-lock brakes, and air bags.
• Liberty Mutual has savings for preferred payment discount, newly retired, multi-policy, new move discount, and exclusive group savings.
• SAFECO has discounts for anti-theft, homeowner, accident prevention training, safe driver, and anti-lock brakes.
• Progressive may offer discounts for multi-vehicle, online quote discount, online signing, multi-policy, continuous coverage, and homeowner.
• USAA discounts include defensive driver, vehicle storage, annual mileage, new vehicle, safe driver, and driver training.

If you need lower rates, check with each insurance company how many discounts you can get. A few discounts might not be available to policyholders in Alpharetta. To view insurers that offer multiple discounts in Georgia, follow this link.

Get rate quotes but work with a local Alpharetta insurance agency

Some consumers prefer to talk to an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Agents are trained risk managers and give you someone to call. One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is the fact that you can find better rates and still buy from a local agent.

Once you complete this simple form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Alpharetta who will gladly provide quotes for your business. There is no need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. In the event you want to get a rate quote from a specific company, you can always visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.

Selecting an insurance company needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. You should also get answers to these questions.

• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Georgia?
• Do you work with a CSR or direct with the agent?
• Does the company have a solid financial rating?
• Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
• How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
• Is every driver in your family covered?

Shown below are agents in Alpharetta that may be willing to give rate quotes.

• Khue Huffman – State Farm Insurance Agent
  160 Prospect Pl – Alpharetta, GA 30005 – (770) 667-8838 – View Map
• Perimeter Insurance Agency
  2650 Holcomb Bridge Rd #650 – Alpharetta, GA 30022 – (770) 409-1900 – View Map
• Nationwide Insurance: Marvin L Jenkins
  12930 GA-9 – Alpharetta, GA 30004 – (770) 754-4001 – View Map
• Ken Anderson – State Farm Insurance Agent
  895 McFarland Pkwy – Alpharetta, GA 30004 – (770) 475-2720 – View Map

More Alpharetta agents

If you get positive responses to your questions as well as a price you’re happy with, you’ve probably found an provider that meets your needs to provide insurance coverage. But keep in mind you can always cancel a policy at any time so don’t assume you are locked into any specific company for any length of time.

Best and worst vehicle claim statistics

Which vehicle models have severe claims? The tables below show the highest and lowest models for likelihood of filing claims.

Car insurance savings summarized

While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage only to regret that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your goal is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest cost while not skimping on critical coverages.

Lower-priced car insurance in Alpharetta is attainable on the web as well as from independent agents in Alpharetta, and you should be comparing both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers may not have online quoting and usually these smaller companies only sell coverage through local independent agencies.

In this article, we covered a lot of ways to get a better price on car insurance in Alpharetta. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the lowest prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

Other learning opportunities

• Parking Tips to Reduce Door Dings (State Farm)
• How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for a Chevrolet Equinox in Atlanta? (FAQ)
• How Much are Atlanta Auto Insurance Rates for a Nissan Sentra? (FAQ)
• How to shop for a safer car (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Booster Seat Ratings (iihs.org)
• How Much Auto Coverage do I Need? (Insurance Information Institute)
• What is a Telematics Device? (Allstate)