It’s easy to assume that car insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Insureds who do rate comparisons will most likely buy a new policy because the odds are good of finding a lower-priced company. A study discovered that drivers who regularly compared rates saved $850 each year as compared to drivers who never shopped around for lower prices.
If finding budget-friendly car insurance is your ultimate goal, knowing the best way to compare coverage rates can make it easier for you to save money.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to find affordable auto insurance rates in Cleveland is to compare prices once a year from insurers that sell auto insurance in Ohio.
First, take a little time to learn about what is in your policy and the factors you can control to drop your rates. Many risk factors that are responsible for high rates such as getting speeding tickets and a substandard credit history can be controlled by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
Second, compare price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only quote rates from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can quote prices from multiple insurance companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if cheaper X-Type coverage is available in Cleveland. If you find a lower rate and buy the policy, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
Fourth, provide written notification to your current company of your decision to cancel your current coverage and submit the completed application along with a down payment to the newly selected company. Once the paperwork is finalized, safely store the certificate verifying proof of insurance in an easily accessible location in your vehicle.
The key thing to remember is to make sure you enter identical limits and deductibles on each quote request and and to look at as many companies as you can. This ensures an apples-to-apples comparison and plenty of rates choose from.
Get cheaper rates on Jaguar X-Type insurance in Cleveland with these discounts
Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list all possible discounts very well, so the next list breaks down a few of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious ways to save on auto insurance. If you don’t get every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Active Military Service – Being on active duty in the military can result in better premium rates.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Having multiple vehicles on the same auto insurance policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking a course that instructs on driving safety could cut 5% off your bill and make you a better driver.
- Driver’s Education for Students – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers participate in a local driver’s education class in school or through a local driver safety program.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Insurance carriers who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can save up to 40% or more on their Cleveland auto insurance quote than less cautious drivers.
Please keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
Companies and some of their more popular discounts can be found below.
- Progressive has discounts for online signing, homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-policy, good student, online quote discount, and multi-vehicle.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include drive less, multi-car, safe driver, homeowner, accident prevention training, and bundle discounts.
- American Family includes discounts for good student, early bird, bundled insurance, accident-free, and defensive driver.
- MetLife offers discounts for multi-policy, good student, accident-free, defensive driver, and good driver.
- GEICO may include discounts for daytime running lights, driver training, anti-theft, military active duty, defensive driver, and multi-policy.
- The Hartford offers discounts including bundle, vehicle fuel type, anti-theft, driver training, air bag, good student, and defensive driver.
Before buying, ask all the companies to give you their best rates. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be available to policyholders everywhere. To see a list of providers that offer many of these discounts in Ohio, follow this link.
Finding a better price on auto insurance can be quick and easy. You just have to spend a little time to compare rates from online providers.
The companies shown below are ready to provide free quotes in Cleveland, OH. If you wish to find the best auto insurance in Cleveland, OH, we suggest you click on several of them to find the most affordable auto insurance rates.
Insurance agents can help
When selecting the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed.
Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you would benefit from professional advice.
- Should I buy full coverage?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- Which companies will insure me after a DUI?
- What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Cleveland?
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- How much liability insurance is required?
- Are there any extra discounts I can get?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Local neighborhood Cleveland car insurance agents
Many drivers just want to talk to a local agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases Most agents will help you protect your assets and help file insurance claims. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you can get cheap auto insurance quotes and still choose a local agent. And buying from local insurance agencies is still important in Cleveland.
After filling out this short form, your insurance data is submitted to participating agents in Cleveland that give free quotes for your coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent immediately to you. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, just jump over to their website and give them your coverage information.
When finding a reliable insurance agency, you should know the different types of agents and how they can service your needs differently. Agents in Cleveland are either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Both can sell and service auto insurance coverage, but it is a good idea to know the differences because it can influence which type of agent you select.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents often have affiliation with several companies so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies and find the cheapest rate. If premiums increase, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent.
If you are trying to find cheaper rates, we recommend you get some free quotes from several independent agencies to maximize your price options. They often place coverage with smaller companies that may provide cheaper auto insurance rates.
Below are Cleveland independent agents that may be able to provide price quote information.
- Zito Insurance Inc
1249 Smith Ct – Cleveland, OH 44116 – (440) 333-6020 – View Map - Pinkney-Perry Insurance
1701 E 12th St #101 – Cleveland, OH 44114 – (216) 795-1995 – View Map - Nationwide Insurance: Joseph R Potts
12300 Lorain Ave – Cleveland, OH 44111 – (216) 251-7374 – View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agencies can only write with one company like State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. These agents receive a lot of sales training on the products they sell and that enables them to sell even at higher rates. Consumers often use the same exclusive agent mostly because of high brand loyalty instead of buying on price only.
Shown below is a short list of exclusive agents in Cleveland that can give you price quotes.
- Robert Jones – State Farm Insurance Agent
12405 Larchmere Blvd – Cleveland, OH 44120 – (216) 229-3276 – View Map - State Farm: Betsy Warner
2491 Lee Blvd – Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 – (216) 932-6900 – View Map - Allstate Insurance: Nanci Cieckiewicz
4719 State Rd – Cleveland, OH 44109 – (216) 739-0990 – View Map
Choosing an auto insurance agent requires you to look at more than just the price. Any agent in Cleveland should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Do they have designations such as AIC, CPCU, or CIC?
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Will you work with the agent or an assistant?
- Are they paid to recommend certain coverages?
- Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents in Cleveland?
- Is there a local claims center in Cleveland?
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
Compare but don’t skimp
Low-cost Jaguar X-Type insurance in Cleveland can be bought on the web and from local agencies, and you should compare rates from both to have the best selection. Some companies may not provide rates over the internet and usually these smaller companies work with independent insurance agencies.
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured cut collision coverage to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
More learning opportunities
- Automakers compete to add autobraking (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has the Cheapest Cleveland Car Insurance Quotes for a Subaru Outback? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for a Honda Civic in Cleveland? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for State Employees in Cleveland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for 17 Year Olds in Cleveland? (FAQ)
- Frontal Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- A Tree Fell on Your Car: Now What? (Allstate)
- How to shop for a safer car (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Rental Car Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Institute)