Are Your Dodge Shadow Car Insurance Rates Draining Your Savings?
Have you had enough of being strong-armed to buy car insurance? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in Nevada. You have multiple insurance companies to buy insurance from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, so many choices can make it hard to locate the cheapest rates.
Choosing the best insurance company for you is not rocket science. If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these tips to get lower rates and still get good coverage. Nevada drivers only need to know the best way to compare rates online.
These discounts can slash car insurance rates
Auto insurance companies don’t list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so we break down some of the best known and the harder-to-find car insurance savings. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Good Student – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Resident Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus may qualify for this discount.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Drivers Education – Require your teen driver to take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way.
To see a list of insurers with discount car insurance rates in Nevada, click this link.
Impacting insurance rates for a Dodge Shadow
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Knowing what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better car insurance rates.
- How many coverages with the same company – Many insurers will award you with lower prices to policyholders who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can add up to five, ten or even twenty percent. If you currently are using one company, you still need to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still find a better deal by buying car insurance from a different company.
- How credit affects car insurance rates – Having a bad credit score is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. If your credit is low, you could be paying less to insure your Dodge Shadow by repairing your credit.
- Extra coverages can waste money – There are quite a few extra coverages you can purchase if you aren’t careful. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and term life insurance are some examples. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
- Never let your coverage lapse – Driving without insurance is against the law and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance expire. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a license revocation or jail time.Then you may be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Nevada DMV.
- With age comes lower rates – Older drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and tend to be better behind the wheel. Teen drivers are known to be careless and easily distracted behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
- Your stress level may be raising your rates – Careers like doctors, architects and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average in part from high stress levels and long work hours. On the flip side, professions such as farmers, athletes and the unemployed pay the least for Shadow coverage.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you. If your Dodge Shadow has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov you may qualify for a discount.
- Higher deductibles cost less – Deductibles for physical damage define the amount you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the lower your rates will be for Shadow coverage.
But don’t I need an insurance agent?
Certain consumers would rather buy from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Insurance agents can answer important questions and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about comparing rates online is the fact that you can find better rates and still have an agent to talk to.
After completing this form (opens in new window), your information is instantly submitted to participating agents who will return price quotes for your business. You won’t need to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. It doesn’t get any easier!
Picking a company shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
Do you need an independent or captive auto insurance agent?
When searching for a good Nevada insurance agent, there are a couple of types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are categorized either independent or captive. While both can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the difference between them since it may influence the type of agent you choose
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive insurance agents write business for a single company like Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captive agencies are trained well on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Independent Agents
Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to get quotes from at least one independent agent for the best price selection.
For a full directory of insurance agencies in Nevada, view this site.
Upon getting satisfactory answers for all questions you ask in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that can properly service your car insurance policy.
Is there deception in advertising?
Nevada drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you change to their company.
How does each company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 50, has no driving citations, and drives newer vehicles. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who don’t measure up to these standards will be charged more money which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can make those claims. That is why you absolutely need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will have the lowest rates.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the Nevada Division of Insurance website. Nevada drivers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find out which companies have the most complaints, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.
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In the end, you save
When buying insurance coverage, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are many occasions where an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
Low-cost Dodge Shadow insurance can be found both online in addition to many Nevada insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not provide online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.