Truthfully, the best way to get cheaper car insurance rates is to annually compare prices from providers who sell auto insurance in Lincoln. Rates can be compared by following these steps.
- Spend some time learning about how car insurance works and the modifications you can make to drop your rates. Many things that drive up the price like traffic violations and an unfavorable credit rating can be controlled by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. Read the full article for ideas to help keep prices low and find missing discounts.
- Request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agents can provide prices for a wide range of companies.
- Compare the new rates to your current policy premium and determine if there is any savings. If you can save some money and make a switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
The key thing to remember is that you’ll want to compare the same coverage limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to analyze as many companies as you can. This provides an apples-to-apples comparison and a good representation of prices.
It’s a fact that car insurance companies want to keep you from comparing prices. Insureds who compare rates annually are likely to buy a different policy because there is a great chance of finding a more affordable policy. Remarkably, a study showed that drivers who compared rates once a year saved about $3,400 over four years compared to policyholders who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding the lowest price on auto insurance in Lincoln is your ultimate objective, then knowing the best way to quote and compare insurance can make shopping around easier.
How Your 500 Insurance Rates are Determined
A large part of saving on insurance is knowing some of the elements that go into determining your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what impacts premium levels, this allows you to make good choices that will entitle you to cheaper rates. Many things are taken into consideration when premium rates are determined. Some are pretty understandable like a motor vehicle report, but other criteria are less obvious such as whether you are married or your financial responsibility.
- Occupation reflects on rates – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupations like lawyers, air traffic controllers, and stock brokers generally pay higher premium rates because of stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. Conversely, careers like farmers, historians and retirees get better rates.
- Age of drivers – More experienced drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents, and get fewer tickets. Beginning drivers have been known to be inattentive when behind the wheel so insurance rates are higher.
- Affects performance affects auto insurance rates – The performance level of the car, truck or SUV you drive makes a substantial difference in determining your rates. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars usually are quite affordable to insure, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Cheaper premiums for prior coverage – Not maintaining insurance is not a good idea and your next policy will cost more because you let your insurance coverage expire. In addition to paying higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance may result in a fine, jail time, or a revoked license.
- Use but don’t abuse your insurance – Auto insurance companies in Nebraska award the lowest premiums to insureds who are claim-free. If you file a lot of claims you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- What’s your car’s safety rating? – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and fewer injuries means less claims paid passed on to you as lower rates. If your Fiat has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you may be receiving a better rate.
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Fiat 500 claim data – Car insurance companies use historical loss data when determining insurance rates. Models that the data shows to have a trend towards higher claims will cost more for coverage. The table below outlines the historical insurance loss data for Fiat 500 vehicles.
For each type of coverage, the claim amount for all vehicles, regardless of make or model, is considered to be 100. Values below 100 represent a good loss history, while values that are above 100 indicate more frequent claims or tendency to have larger claims.
Insurance Loss Ratings for Fiat 500 Vehicles Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Fiat 500 72 76 66 96 89 84 Fiat 500 Convertible 76 79 60 85 Fiat 500 Electric 73 59 76 60 Fiat 500L 112 80 102 128 93 97 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEEmpty fields indicate not enough data collected
Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Discounts for lower-cost car insurance rates
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always list every discount available in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find a few of the more common and the more hidden discounts that you may qualify for.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some car insurance companies provide a discount for signing up early. The savings is around 10%.
- Professional Organizations – Belonging to certain professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums when getting a Lincoln auto insurance quote.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit could trigger a small discount.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems have a lower chance of being stolen and that can save you a little bit as well.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.
- Telematics Devices – Policyholders that allow their company to spy on vehicle usage through the use of a telematics system such as State Farm’s In-Drive may see discounts if they are good drivers.
- Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save a little off the medical payments premium.
You can save money using discounts, but most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So even though you would think you could get a free car insurance policy, it’s just not the way it works. Any amount of discount will definitely reduce your overall premium however.
To locate companies that offer the discounts shown above in Lincoln, click here.
Best car insurance company in Nebraska
Choosing a good quality auto insurance provider can be rather challenging considering how many companies provide coverage in Lincoln. The rank data in the lists below can help you decide which providers you want to consider comparing rate quotes with.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 99 | 100 | 90 | 92% | A++ | 97.4 |
| 21st Century | 89 | 86 | 100 | 88% | A | 92.7 |
| GEICO | 97 | 91 | 88 | 85% | A++ | 92.5 |
| Nationwide | 88 | 94 | 91 | 88% | A+ | 91.3 |
| AAA Insurance | 93 | 87 | 88 | 87% | A | 90.8 |
| Liberty Mutual | 91 | 91 | 92 | 87% | A | 90.7 |
| Safeco Insurance | 90 | 93 | 88 | 86% | A | 90.2 |
| State Farm | 91 | 94 | 80 | 88% | A++ | 90.2 |
| Travelers | 89 | 91 | 94 | 79% | A++ | 90.1 |
| American Family | 88 | 92 | 83 | 88% | A | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 90 | 90 | 84 | 85% | A+ | 89.1 |
| Progressive | 83 | 85 | 99 | 87% | A+ | 88.7 |
| The Hartford | 87 | 89 | 84 | 87% | A+ | 88 |
| Esurance | 84 | 88 | 85 | 83% | A+ | 86 |
| Farmers Insurance | 79 | 88 | 84 | 87% | A | 84.7 |
| The General | 88 | 80 | 85 | 80% | A- | 84.5 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Affordable coverage is out there
We just presented a lot of tips how to save on Fiat 500 insurance in Lincoln. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may even discover the lowest car insurance rates come from some of the lesser-known companies.
More affordable auto insurance in Lincoln is attainable on the web in addition to many Lincoln insurance agents, so you need to quote Lincoln auto insurance with both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers may not have online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through local independent agents.
When you buy Lincoln auto insurance online, don’t be tempted to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice full coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Additional information can be read at these links:
- Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for College Students in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers with Accidents in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Lincoln Auto Insurance for a Chevrolet Equinox? (FAQ)
- How Much is Lincoln Auto Insurance for a Chevrolet Silverado? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for 4×4 Vehicles in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Postal Workers in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)
- Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)