It’s an obvious conclusion that car insurance companies don’t want you shop around. Insureds who rate shop once a year are likely to switch insurance companies because there is a good probability of finding lower rate quotes. A recent survey found that consumers who regularly compared price quotes saved $865 a year compared to other drivers who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding the lowest price for insurance in Durham is why you’re reading this, learning how to choose a company and compare insurance premiums can make it easier to find better rates.
If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to get discount Kia Amanti insurance is to start comparing prices yearly from different companies in Durham.
First, it will benefit you to learn about auto insurance and the things you can change to keep rates in check. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates like speeding and a negative credit rating can be eliminated by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes. Read the full article for additional tips to lower rates and find missing discounts.
Second, compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agencies can give you price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. View companies
Third, compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a lower rate quote and change companies, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
One piece of advice is to try to use the same amount of coverage on each quote and and to get quotes from every insurance company. Doing this ensures a fair rate comparison and a thorough price selection.
If you have insurance now, you will surely be able to cut your premiums using the following tips. Buying the cheapest car insurance in Durham is actually quite simple. But North Carolina consumers can benefit by having an understanding of the way insurance companies price online insurance and take advantage of how the system works.
How Insurance Providers Calculate Kia Amanti Insurance Rates
Many factors are part of the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Some are obvious like your driving record, although others are more obscure such as whether you are married or your commute time. Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning the rating factors that help calculate the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines premiums, this allows you to make good choices that may reward you with lower rates.
- Bad driving leads to higher costs – Whether or not you get tickets influences premium rates substantially. Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Even a single moving violation could increase your next policy renewal substantially. People who have multiple violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may face state-mandated requirements to maintain a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
- Liability insurance risk factors – Your policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you when you are responsible for damages caused by your negligence. This coverage provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
- Save miles and save money – The more you drive your Kia annually the more it will cost to insure it. Almost all companies rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos that do not get driven very much cost less to insure as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Amanti is throwing money out the window. Ask your agent if your declarations sheet correctly shows the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Insurance rates for married couples – Walking down the aisle may cut your premiums on your auto insurance bill. Having a significant other is viewed as being more mature and responsible and statistics prove married couples file fewer claims.
- Drivers with responsible credit save on auto insurance – Your credit score will be a significant factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit is lower than you’d like, you may save money insuring your Kia Amanti by repairing your credit. Consumers who have very high credit ratings tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims than those with lower ratings.
- Prevent theft and save – Choosing to buy a car with a theft deterrent system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention features like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms can thwart vehicle theft.
- Does car insurance cost less for females? – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn’t mean females are better drivers. Men and women have accidents at about the same rate, but males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Young men ages 16 to 20 tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
There are several ways to get quotes from all the different companies. The recommended way to find affordable Kia Amanti insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online.
It’s so fast and easy to compare rate quotes online that it makes it obsolete to make phone calls or go to all the different Durham insurance agencies. Comparing Kia Amanti insurance rate quotes online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you’re the type of person who wants the professional guidance that you can only get from talking to an agent. Drivers can comparison shop online but buy the policy through an agent. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies gives you a better chance of getting lower pricing. Some smaller insurers do not give price estimates online, so it’s recommended that you also compare price estimates from them as well.
The auto insurance companies shown below are our best choices to provide free rate quotes in Durham, NC. If your goal is to find cheaper car insurance in NC, we suggest you compare several of them to get the most affordable price.
Choosing vehicle insurance is an important decision
Even though Durham Amanti insurance rates can get expensive, car insurance serves a purpose in several ways.
First, almost all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy specific minimum amounts of liability coverage in order to be legal. In North Carolina these limits are 30/60/25 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if your Kia Amanti has a lienholder, almost every bank will force you to have insurance to protect their interest in the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the bank may buy a policy for your Kia for a lot more money and force you to pay the higher price.
Third, car insurance protects not only your car but also your assets. It will also reimburse you for all forms of medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. As part of your policy, liability insurance will also pay attorney fees if you cause an accident and are sued. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of buying car insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays more than $700 annually so you should quote rates every year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Cheaper rates with these rate reducing discounts
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there may be some discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of purchase, but occasionally some discounts must be manually applied before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you are throwing money away.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Teen drivers should enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
- Smart Student Discounts – Maintaining excellent grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up to age 25.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your auto and home insurance and place coverage with the same company you could get a discount of up to 20% and get you low cost Kia Amanti insurance.
- Accident Waiver – This one isn’t a discount, but certain companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates if you have no claims prior to the accident.
- Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles have a lower chance of being stolen and will qualify for a discount on a Durham auto insurance quote.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill as opposed to paying monthly you could save 5% or more.
- Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of qualifying employment or professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
- Discount for Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get better premium rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
- Claim-Free Discount – Durham drivers who stay claim-free can save substantially as opposed to policyholders that have many claims.
One thing to note about discounts is that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it just doesn’t work that way.
A few popular companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are detailed below.
- Progressive may include discounts for continuous coverage, online quote discount, good student, multi-vehicle, online signing, multi-policy, and homeowner.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include accident prevention training, safe driver, anti-theft, bundle discounts, teen safety rewards, teen safe driver, and drive less.
- American Family policyholders can earn discounts including accident-free, air bags, bundled insurance, Steer into Savings, and multi-vehicle.
- MetLife offers discounts for defensive driver, good driver, accident-free, good student, multi-policy, and claim-free.
- GEICO includes discounts for military active duty, defensive driver, good student, membership and employees, five-year accident-free, and daytime running lights.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for air bag, driver training, anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, defensive driver, good student, and bundle.
Before purchasing a policy, check with all the companies which discounts they offer. Some credits may not be offered in your state. If you would like to view companies that offer many of these discounts in North Carolina, click this link.
Insurance agencies near you
A small number of people still like to talk to an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is that drivers can save money and get cheap insurance quotes and still have an agent to talk to.
By using this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in Durham that can give you free Durham auto insurance quotes for your coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to contact an agency since price quotes are sent to you. You can find the lowest rates and work with a local agent. If you want to compare prices for a specific company, you just need to navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.
Picking a company needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. You should also get answers to these questions.
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
- By raising physical damage deductibles, how much would you save?
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
- Who are their largest clients?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
Pick the best auto insurance agent in Durham for you
If you want to buy insurance from a reliable insurance agent, there are a couple of different agency structures and how they can quote your rates. Insurance agencies in Durham are categorized either independent agents or exclusive agents.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
These type of agents can only quote rates from one company such as Farmers Insurance and State Farm. They are unable to shop your coverage around so they have to upsell other benefits. They are well trained on the products they sell which helps offset the inability to provide other markets.
Shown below are Durham exclusive agents that can give you price quote information.
Ashley Manuel – State Farm Insurance Agent
5842 Fayetteville Rd #112 – Durham, NC 27713 – (919) 544-8101 – View Map
Ken Carver – State Farm Insurance Agent
2905 Guess Rd #2 – Durham, NC 27705 – (919) 471-0011 – View Map
Chuck Barham State FarmĀ®
3823 Guess Rd – Durham, NC 27705 – (919) 477-7300 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents of this type often have many company appointments and that is an advantage because they can write policies through many companies and potentially find a lower price. If they find a cheaper price, they can switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured.
When comparing insurance rates, you should always check rates from multiple independent agents to maximize your price options.
The following are Durham independent insurance agents willing to provide rate quotes.
Insurance People-N Carolina
1920 Front St # 750 – Durham, NC 27705 – (919) 383-0442 – View Map
The Insurance Pros, Inc.
1210 Cole Mill Rd Suite 101 – Durham, NC 27705 – (919) 294-6613 – View Map
Around The Corner Insurance Agency, Inc.
1431 Broad St – Durham, NC 27705 – (919) 286-9500 – View Map
How to find a good North Carolina auto insurance company
Insuring your vehicle with a high-quality insurance company is difficult considering how many companies there are to choose from in Durham. The company information shown next may help you select which car insurance providers to look at when comparing rates.
Top 10 Durham Car Insurance Companies Overall
- Travelers
- USAA
- AAA Insurance
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Safeco Insurance
- Progressive
- American Family
When to get professional advice
When quoting and choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that
For example, these questions could help you determine if your situation could use an agent’s help.
- Can good grades get a discount?
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in North Carolina?
- Is my Kia Amanti covered for smoke damage?
- Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
- What is glass protection for?
- Is my ex-spouse still covered by my policy?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
One last thing to lower rates
When shopping online for auto insurance, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many instances, someone dropped liability coverage limits only to regret they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just presented quite a bit of information on how to reduce Kia Amanti insurance rates online in Durham. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding cheaper Durham auto insurance quotes. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and GEICO.
Even more information can be found in these articles:
- Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Good Students in Durham? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Inexperienced Drivers in Durham? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Low Mileage Drivers in Durham? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Durham Car Insurance Rates for Felons? (FAQ)
- Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
- Older Driver Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)