We hear this question
a lot when we start working with our clients. Each of our companies that
we write for asks different questions in order to determine eligibility, find
the most accurate rate, and see which discounts a customer might qualify for –
this is one of the reasons that we ask so many questions when we are gathering
information from current and prospective customers.
There are some different rating factors that are automatically
included in the rate:
- Accident-Free & Good/Safe Driver: All auto insurance
companies look at an insured’s driving record and claim history when
determining the rate for auto insurance. If you are “accident-free”
or have a clean driving record for the last 3-5 years, many insurance
companies apply a discount to the premium quote
- Vehicle Safety Features: While most of your
car’s safety features are automatically incorporated into the rate from
your VIN#, it is still good practice to let your insurance agent know if
you have optional safety features in case it is eligible for an additional
discount. Does your car have blind-spot detection? Automatic
braking? Lane Departure Warning System? Does it have an
anti-theft system? If so, let your agent know!
- Multiple Car Discount: If you have more than one car insured on a
policy, your policy will receive a mult-car discount
- Driver
Age: Some companies give an automatic discount to drivers over the
age of 55
Companies also offer a few different discounts you might be eligible for:
- Usage-Based Insurance / Telematics: This is something that
is relatively new and several of our auto insurance companies offer.
Using either a device that you plug-into your car or an app on your
smartphone, the program tracks your vehicle usage and driving
habits. Common things that they look for are hard braking, fast
acceleration, and night-time driving (between midnight and 4am).
Some companies give a discount for enrolling in the program, and then
additional discounts are available at the end of the monitoring time or at
the renewal. Each company’s program is different, so make sure that
you talk with your agent to get the specific information for the company
that your auto insurance is with.
- Bundling your auto/home insurance with the same insurance
carrier: Most
of our companies offer a discount if you have your auto and home insurance
insured with the same company. Some companies also offer further
discounts if other insurance policies are also written with that company
as well (motorcycle, boat, RV, personal umbrella, etc.)
- While
most companies offer a discount if your auto and home insurance are
written together, this doesn’t always mean that it will be less expensive
to do this. Sometimes it is cheaper to have your auto insured with
Company A, and your home insured with Company B. As independent
insurance agents, we take that into consideration when we are quoting our
customers and look to see which is best for each customer
- Company Car: Are you provided a company car or truck that
you drive to/from work? If so, you may be eligible for a company car
discount
- Low Mileage: Do you put less than 7500 miles on your car a year? The number of annual miles varies by company for what qualifies for low miles - one of our companies gives the discount for under 10,000/year
- Good Student: If your student is between 16-24 years old, a
full-time student, and has a “B” average, they may be eligible for a good
student discount. This if for both high school and college
students
- Distant Student: Does one of the drivers listed on the policy go
to college over 100 miles away from home and not have a car with them at
school? If so, they may be eligible for a distant-student
discount
- EFT/Paid-in-Full: You might be eligible for a discount if are you
paying for your policy in full, or are paying up for payments
automatically withdrawn from your checking/saving
account.
- Paperless Discount: Would you prefer to get most of your insurance
documents via email instead of through the mail? A couple of our
companies offer a discount if you do!
If you think that you might be eligible for a discount that you
are not currently getting, please reach out to your Absolute Insurance agent so
that we can review your policy.
Also, let us know if you have had anything change in your life
that might affect your insurance:
- Did
you recently retire? Will your vehicle usage and annual mileage
change? If so, let us know!
- Do
you have a new job and now have a company car? Let’s discuss whether
the company car discount is an option for you.
- Do
you telework from home? We should review the current vehicle usage
and mileage to see if we still have it listed correctly.
Are you thinking of buying a new car? Call us before you
make your final decision and we can quote to see what it would be to add to
your existing policy. This is helpful if you are debating between two
different vehicles – the type of vehicle and the safety features that it has
can have a huge difference in the insurance rate.
At Absolute Insurance
Agency, we know that getting the best coverage at the best price is important
to our clients. One benefit of being an independent insurance agency is
that this allows us to quote with multiple companies to see what the best insurance
policy would be for you and your family. Interested in an insurance
quote? Click here for a quote or contact us at service@insaia.com.
