It’s well known that car insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. People who get price quotes annually are very likely to switch companies because the odds are good of finding coverage at a more affordable price. Remarkably, a study showed that drivers who compared rates regularly saved about $860 a year compared to those who didn’t regularly shop around.
If finding low prices for auto insurance is your ultimate goal, understanding how to quote prices and compare insurance coverage can help you be more efficient.
The preferred way to get more affordable Toyota C-HR insurance is to compare quotes once a year from providers in Louisville. Rate comparisons can be done by following these steps.
- First, try to learn a little about the coverage provided by your policy and the things you can control to lower rates. Many rating criteria that result in higher rates such as speeding tickets, accidents and an imperfect credit history can be controlled by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Later in this article we will cover additional tips to help keep rates affordable and find more discounts that you may not know about.
- Second, compare prices from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO and Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide prices from multiple companies.
- Third, compare the new rates to your current policy premium and see if you can save money. If you can save some money, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, give notification to your agent or company of your decision to cancel your current policy and submit a completed policy application and payment for your new policy. Make sure you store the certificate verifying proof of insurance in a readily accessible location in your vehicle.
A tip to remember is to compare the same coverage limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to compare as many car insurance companies as possible. Doing this provides a fair price comparison and the best price selection.
Quoting and comparing affordable policy in Louisville is not as confusing as people think. Essentially every person who buys insurance will most likely be able to reduce their rates. But Kentucky car owners can benefit by having an understanding of the methods companies use to charge you for coverage and use it to find better rates.
Quote Toyota C-HR Insurance at a Discount
A large part of saving on insurance is knowing some of the factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for insurance. When you understand what determines premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that could help you find big savings.
GPS tracking and theft deterrents reduce prices – Choosing a vehicle that has a built-in theft deterrent system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can help prevent vehicle theft.
Your gender affects prices – Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. It does not mean males are worse at driving than females. Men and women are in fender benders at about the same rate, but the men tend to have higher claims. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI.
Is your car built for speed? – The performance of the vehicle you need insurance for makes a substantial difference in your auto insurance rates. Smaller low performance passenger cars generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but many other things help determine your insurance rates.
Save miles and save money – Driving a lot of miles in a year’s time the higher your rate. The majority of insurers calculate prices based on their usage. Autos that have low annual miles qualify for better rates than those used for commuting. Incorrect rating for your C-HR is throwing money out the window. Ask your agent if your insurance policy is rated on annual mileage, because it can save money.
If you don’t need it don’t buy it – Insurance policies have a lot of extra add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t diligent. Insurance for things like rental car coverage, high-cost glass coverage, and term life insurance may not be needed and are just wasting money. The coverages may be enticing when buying your policy, but if you have no use for them get rid of them and save.
High credit scores save money – A driver’s credit rating can be a huge factor in determining what you pay for insurance. People with very good credit scores tend to be better risks to insure as compared to drivers with poor credit. If your credit history is not that good, you may save money insuring your Toyota C-HR by taking the time to improve your credit score.
Save money by raising physical damage deductibles – Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your vehicle. Some examples of claims that would be covered would be colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and having your car stolen. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. The more damage repair cost you have to pay, the lower your rates will be.
Rural vs Urban Areas – Being located in smaller towns and rural areas of the country can save you money if you are looking for the lowest rates. Fewer drivers means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. Residents of big cities have more traffic problems and longer commutes to work. Longer commute distances means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.
Just keep in mind that making a lot of price comparisons helps improve the odds of finding a better price. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide online Louisville C-HR insurance quotes, so it’s necessary to compare quotes on coverage from those companies, too.
The companies in the list below are ready to provide price comparisons in Louisville, KY. If multiple companies are listed, we suggest you visit several of them in order to find the lowest rates.
Why you need to buy car insurance
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Toyota in Louisville, paying for car insurance is mandatory in Kentucky but it also protects more than you think.
- The majority of states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means state laws require a minimum amount of liability coverage if you want to drive legally. In Kentucky 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 have a loan on your C-HR, almost all lenders will have a requirement that you have comprehensive coverage to guarantee payment of the loan. If you let the policy lapse, the lender will be forced to insure your Toyota for a lot more money and require you to reimburse them a much higher amount than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects not only your car but also your assets. It will also reimburse you for medical expenses incurred in an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay to defend you in the event you are sued. If you have damage to your Toyota as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.
The benefits of insuring your car definitely exceed the price paid, particularly when you have a large claim. An average driver in America is currently overpaying as much as $700 annually so you should quote your policy with other companies at every policy renewal to save money.
Insurance discounts are available to get cheap rates
Insurance is not inexpensive, but you might be missing out on some discounts that can help lower your rates. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at the time of purchase, but occasionally some discounts must be asked for before being credited.
- Drive Safe and Save – Accident-free drivers could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accidents.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and earn discounts up to 10% off your Louisville auto insurance quote.
- Bundle and Save – When you have multiple policies with one company you may earn at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
- Multiple Vehicles – Purchasing coverage when you have several vehicles on a single policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles have fewer accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Multi-line Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a lower price if you buy auto and life insurance together.
- Accident Waiver – This one is not really a discount per se, but a few companies such as Allstate and GEICO will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you have no claims for a set time period.
- Professional Memberships – Having an affiliation with certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
A little disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will cut the premium cost.
A partial list of companies that may offer these money-saving discounts include:
It’s a good idea to ask every insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. All car insurance discounts may not apply in your state.
Local Louisville insurance agents and insurance
Certain consumers just prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can find cheap insurance quotes and still have a local agent. Supporting neighborhood agents is important especially in Louisville.
Upon completion of this simple form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents who will return price quotes for your coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to find an agent on your own as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. You can find the lowest rates without the usual hassles of price shopping. If you wish to get a rate quote from a specific insurance provider, you would need to jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
If you are wanting to find a reliable insurance agency, it’s helpful to know the different types of agencies and how they can quote your rates. Agencies in Louisville can either be exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Independent Insurance Agencies
Independent agents are not restricted to one company and that enables them to quote your coverage amongst many companies and find you cheaper rates. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply switch companies in-house and you stay with the same agent. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, it’s a good idea to contact independent agents to get the most accurate price comparison. Most have the option of insuring with different regional companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
The following is a short list of independent agencies in Louisville that can possibly get you free insurance quotes.
- Dick Watts Insurance
12200 Shelbyville Rd #112 – Louisville, KY 40243 – (502) 245-3625 – View Map - Glenn E Martin Insurance
10226 Shelbyville Rd – Louisville, KY 40223 – (502) 245-8870 – View Map - Gerald Schott Insurance
10602 Timberwood Cir # 14 – Louisville, KY 40223 – (502) 426-5887 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
These agents write business for a single company and some examples include Allstate, AAA, Farmers Insurance, and State Farm. These agents are unable to provide other company’s prices so you need to shop around if the rates are high. Exclusive insurance agents are usually quite knowledgeable on sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Consumers sometimes choose to use an exclusive agent mostly because of the brand name and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Listed below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Louisville willing to provide rate quotes.
- Allstate Insurance: Kevin Miles
9475 Westport Rd #305 – Louisville, KY 40241 – (502) 423-1171 – View Map - Tracy Blair Haus State Farm Insurance Agency
11501 Main St – Louisville, KY 40243 – (502) 244-0271 – View Map - Jeremy Graham – State Farm Insurance Agent
5438 New Cut Rd Ste 102 – Louisville, KY 40214 – (502) 368-6529 – View Map
Deciding on an insurance agent should include more criteria than just a cheap price. These are valid questions to ask:
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Will the company cover a rental car if your car is getting fixed?
- Does their agency support local causes in Louisville?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- Does the company have a solid financial rating?
What insurance coverages do I need?
When it comes to choosing the best insurance coverage, there really isn’t a best way to insure your cars. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed.
These are some specific questions might help in determining whether you will benefit from professional help.
- Why do I have to buy liability insurance?
- Should I get collision insurance on every vehicle?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
- Is my custom stereo system covered?
- I have a DUI can I still get coverage?
- Which companies are cheaper for teen drivers?
- When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
- Is my Toyota C-HR covered for flood damage?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
More effort can pay off
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many instances, an accident victim reduced full coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at the best possible price and still be able to protect your assets.
In this article, we covered many ways to reduce Toyota C-HR insurance rates online in Louisville. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get auto insurance rates for, the higher your chance of finding low cost Louisville auto insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a smaller regional carrier. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or GEICO.
Additional information is available at these links:
- Vehicle Safety Ratings (iihs.org)
- How Much is Louisville Auto Insurance for a Learners Permit? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Louisville Auto Insurance Rates for Real Estate Agents? (FAQ)
- Determining Your Vehicle’s Value and Repair Cost (Insurance Information Institute)
- What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)