It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find better pricing on car insurance rates in Lincoln is to annually compare prices from providers in Nebraska.
First, read about how car insurance works and the things you can control to keep rates down. Many policy risk factors that increase rates such as traffic violations, accidents, and a less-than-favorable credit score can be improved by being financially responsible and driving safely.
Second, obtain price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can only quote rates from a single company like GEICO and Allstate, while agents who are independent can quote rates from multiple companies.
Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find better rates and switch companies, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
Fourth, notify your current company to cancel your current coverage and submit the application along with any required down payment to the new company. When you receive it, keep the new proof of insurance paperwork in an easily accessible location.
One piece of advice is to try to use identical coverages on each quote request and and to get price estimates from as many companies as you can. This provides an apples-to-apples comparison and and a good selection of different prices.
It’s an obvious assumption that insurance companies don’t want you to compare rates. People who get price comparisons are highly likely to switch car insurance companies because there is a great chance of finding lower rate quotes. Remarkably, a study showed that drivers who did price comparisons regularly saved $70 a month as compared to drivers who never shopped around for cheaper prices.
If finding the best price on car insurance is the reason you’re reading this, understanding how to find and compare insurance rates can help you succeed in finding affordable rates.
Locating the most cost-effective auto insurance policy in Lincoln is much easier if you have a good place to start. In essence, every person who compares rates for auto insurance will find a cheaper policy. Although Nebraska car owners benefit from understanding how insurance companies calculate your auto insurance rates because it varies considerably.
Learn How to Lower Your Insurance Rates
Lots of things are used when premium rates are determined. Some of the criteria are obvious like your driving record, but others are not as apparent like your continuous coverage or how financially stable you are.
More than one policy can earn a discount – Most companies allow lower prices to policyholders that purchase more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you already get this discount, it’s still a good idea to shop around to help ensure you have the lowest rates. It’s possible to still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
Do thieves like your car? – Owning a car with advanced anti-theft systems can save you some money. Systems that thwart thieves such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder auto theft and help lower rates.
Big cities mean more claims – Living in less populated areas is a good thing when buying car insurance. Less people corresponds to lower accident rates in addition to lower liability claims. Residents of big cities tend to have more road rage incidents and a longer drive to work. Longer commute distances statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
Drive lots and pay more – Driving more miles in a year’s time the more you will pay for car insurance. Many insurance companies calculate prices based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks that have low annual miles get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Make sure your policy is showing the correct usage for each vehicle. A policy that improperly rates your Optima Plug-In Hybrid may be wasting your money.
Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps locate lower pricing.
The following companies have been selected to offer quotes in Lincoln, NE. If your goal is to find cheaper auto insurance in Lincoln, we recommend you compare several of them to find the most competitive auto insurance rates.
Why you need quality insurance for your Kia vehicle
Even though it can be expensive, buying auto insurance serves several important purposes.
First, just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage in order to license the vehicle. In Nebraska these limits are 25/50/25 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if you took out a loan on your Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, it’s guaranteed your bank will stipulate that you buy full coverage to guarantee loan repayment. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Kia at a significantly higher premium and require you to fork over for the much more expensive policy.
Third, auto insurance preserves both your vehicle and your personal assets. Insurance will pay for medical transport and hospital expenses incurred in an accident. Liability insurance also covers legal expenses if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of buying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, especially for larger claims. An average driver in America overpays as much as $855 a year so it’s recommended you shop around at every policy renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Insurance discounts are available for cheaper rates
Insurance can be pricey, but you might already qualify for some discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about before being credited. If you do not double check each discount possible, you could be saving more on your insurance.
- No Claim Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can earn big discounts in comparison with insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles can qualify you for slightly better premium rates than normal.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems could see savings of up to 25% or more.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts could save 15% off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This isn’t a discount exactly, but some insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims before the accident.
- ABS Brakes – Vehicles with ABS braking systems or traction control have fewer accidents and will save you 10% or more on Optima Plug-In Hybrid insurance in Lincoln.
- Driver’s Ed – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class in school.
- Telematics Devices – Insureds that choose to allow data collection to study driving patterns by installing a telematics device such as State Farm’s In-Drive could possibly reduce rates if they have good driving habits.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Not all insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a small discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
- Good Student – Excelling in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
A quick disclaimer, some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though you would think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, nobody gets a free ride.
A list of insurance companies and some of the discounts are:
- Progressive offers discounts including multi-vehicle, homeowner, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and good student.
- SAFECO includes discounts for safe driver, drive less, bundle discounts, accident prevention training, homeowner, and teen safe driver.
- American Family discounts include accident-free, TimeAway discount, bundled insurance, early bird, and multi-vehicle.
- MetLife offers premium reductions for claim-free, good driver, multi-policy, accident-free, defensive driver, and good student.
- GEICO has discounts for federal employee, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, membership and employees, and air bags.
- The Hartford may include discounts for good student, defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, bundle, and air bag.
If you need low cost Lincoln auto insurance quotes, ask each insurance company which credits you are entitled to. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be available in your area. For a list of companies that provide some of the discounts listed above in Lincoln, follow this link.
Auto insurance agents are professional risk managers
Some people still like to buy from a local agent and doing so can bring peace of mind A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is that drivers can save money and get cheaper rates and also buy local.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), the quote information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Lincoln who want to provide quotes for your business. You won’t even need to leave your house as quotes are delivered instantly to you. You can find better rates without requiring a lot of work. If you want to compare prices from a specific insurance company, just visit that company’s website to submit a rate quote request.
Choosing an provider needs to be determined by more than just the quoted price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- What company do they have the most business with?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- When do they do policy reviews?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Does the company have a local claim office in Lincoln?
- Are they in the agency full-time?
If you’re trying to find a local Lincoln insurance agency, there are a couple of different agency structures and how they function. Insurance agencies in Lincoln can be classified as either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive insurance agents normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. Exclusive agencies are unable to shop your coverage around so you need to shop around if the rates are high. Exclusive agencies are very knowledgeable on their company’s products and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
Listed below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Lincoln willing to provide comparison quotes.
Allstate Insurance: Darryl Moore
7111 A St #103 – Lincoln, NE 68510 – (402) 413-7111 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: Raymond Thielen
4949 N 26th St c – Lincoln, NE 68521 – (402) 435-5757 – View Map
Farmers Insurance
916 N 70th St – Lincoln, NE 68505 – (402) 488-5277 – View Map
Independent Car Insurance Agencies
These agents are not employed by any specific company and that allows them to write policies with a variety of different insurance companies and find you the best rates. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply switch companies in-house and you can keep the same agent.
When comparing rate quotes, you will want to include price quotes from independent agents to maximize your price options.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agents in Lincoln that can give you comparison quotes.
Ogden Insurance Agency, Inc.
8531 Lexington Ave #102a – Lincoln, NE 68505 – (402) 466-5655 – View Map
Solid Ground Insurance LLC
6000 South 58th Street Suite C – Lincoln, NE 68516 – (402) 420-7654 – View Map
Mid Mex Insurance Inc
1010 South St A – Lincoln, NE 68502 – (402) 438-6800 – View Map
If you receive reasonable responses to any questions you may have in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agency that meets the criteria to provide car insurance coverage. But remember, once you purchase a policy you can terminate your policy when you choose so don’t assume you’re contractually obligated to any specific company for the entire policy term.
Best car insurance company in Lincoln
Finding a good quality insurance company is hard considering how many companies there are to choose from in Lincoln. The rank data below may help you select which car insurance providers you want to consider to insure your vehicles.
Top 10 Lincoln Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- USAA – 92%
- American Family – 88%
- State Farm – 88%
- Nationwide – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
- The Hartford – 87%
- Progressive – 87%
- AAA Insurance – 87%
- Farmers Insurance – 87%
- Liberty Mutual – 87%
Don’t give up on cheap coverage
We just presented quite a bit of information on how to get a better price on Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid insurance in Lincoln. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better likelihood of getting the cheapest Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid rate quotes. You may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice full coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the lowest possible cost, but do not skimp to save money.
Other learning opportunities
- What is Covered by an Auto Insurance Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Active Military in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Requiring a SR22 in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Tread Depth and Tire Safety (State Farm)
- Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- Teen Driving Statistics (iihs.org)