Anyone knows that car insurance companies don’t want you quoting rates from other companies. Insureds who get price comparisons will presumably buy a new policy because they have good chances of finding lower prices. A recent insurance study discovered that drivers who routinely compared rates saved as much as $3,450 over four years compared to people who never shopped around.
If finding the cheapest price for Ford C-Max Hybrid insurance in Greensboro is your goal, knowing the best ways to shop for car insurance can save time, money, and frustration.
It takes a little time, but the best way to find low-cost prices for auto insurance rates is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from insurance carriers that sell auto insurance in Greensboro.
- Read about how car insurance works and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that drive up the price such as traffic violations, accidents, and a less-than-favorable credit rating can be amended by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes. Read the full article for more information to get cheaper rates and find additional discounts you may qualify for.
- Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agencies can provide price quotes for a wide range of companies.
- Compare the quotes to your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a lower rate quote and buy the policy, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
- Provide proper notification to your current company of your decision to cancel the current policy and submit a completed application and payment for your new policy. Once coverage is bound, put the certificate verifying coverage somewhere easily accessible.
The most important part of this process is to compare identical coverages on every quote request and and to get prices from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure a level playing field and the best rate selection.
The quickest way to compare car insurance rates for Ford C-Max Hybrid insurance in Greensboro is to take advantage of the fact auto insurance companies participate in online systems to give free rates quotes. All consumers are required to do is spend a couple of minutes providing details like if a SR-22 is required, the year, make and model of vehicles, if you’re married, and if the vehicle is leased. Your information is then sent to many highly-rated insurers and you will get price comparisons within a short period of time.
To find the cheapest Ford C-Max Hybrid insurance rates, click here and complete the quick form.
The following companies offer free quotes in North Carolina. To get cheap car insurance in NC, we recommend you click on several of them to get the most competitive price.
Insurance does more than just protect your car
Even though it can be expensive, insuring your vehicle serves an important purpose.
- Almost all states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires specific limits of liability protection in order to license the vehicle. 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.
- If you have a loan on your vehicle, it’s most likely the lender will have a requirement that you have insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may insure your Ford for a lot more money and require you to pay the higher price.
- Insurance protects your vehicle and your assets. It will also cover all forms of medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance will also pay for a defense attorney in the event you are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, your policy will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of having insurance greatly outweigh the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver is overpaying more than $855 a year so smart consumers compare quotes once a year at a minimum to save money.
Smart Buyers Can Reduce Insurance Rates
Lots of things are used when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are obvious such as your driving record, but other factors are less obvious such as your marital status or your vehicle rating.
Shown below are just a few of the factors companies use to determine your rates.
- Liability risk factors – Liability insurance is the coverage that protects you when you are determined to be liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. This coverage provides you with a defense in court to defend your case. This coverage is relatively inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
- Car features impact rates – Choosing to buy a car that has a built-in theft deterrent system can help lower your premiums. Systems that thwart thieves like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all help prevent your car from being stolen.
- An active claims history can increase rates – If you file a lot of claims you shouldn’t be surprised to get either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Companies in North Carolina award the best rates to people who file claims infrequently. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of claims that pose a financial burden.
- Lower performance equals lower insurance costs – The type of vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in your rates. The lowest rates are usually found on lower cost passenger cars, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- Do safer cars cost less to insure? – Safe vehicles get lower rates. Vehicles engineered for safety result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection means your insurance company pays less and thus lower rates. If your Ford C-Max Hybrid has at least four stars on Safercar.gov you may be receiving a better rate.
- Premiums drop with age – More experienced drivers are more responsible, cost insurance companies less in claims, and tend to be get fewer driving tickets. Young drivers are statistically shown to get distracted easily in a vehicle therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
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Ford C-Max Hybrid claim probability – Insurance companies analyze claim trends for every vehicle as a tool for profitable underwriting. Vehicles that the data shows to have a trend towards higher claim severity or frequency will have increased rates. The table shown below demonstrates the collected loss data for Ford C-Max Hybrid vehicles.
For each coverage category, the loss probability for all vehicles combined as an average is equal to 100. Numbers shown that are under 100 suggest losses that are better than average, while values that are above 100 show a trend for more claims or statistically larger claims.
Insurance Loss Ratings for Ford C-Max Hybrid Vehicles Vehicle Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Ford C-Max Hybrid 99 92 95 94 89 100 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEData Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Affordable rates by applying discounts
Car insurance companies do not advertise every possible discount very clearly, so the next list breaks down some of the more common as well as the least known credits available to lower your premiums when you buy Greensboro car insurance online.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one isn’t a discount, but companies like Allstate, State Farm and GEICO will forgive one accident without the usual rate increase as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings of more than 20%.
- Own a Home – Being a homeowner can save a few bucks since home ownership is proof that your finances are in order.
- Anti-theft System – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems have a lower chance of being stolen and will save you 10% or more on C-Max Hybrid insurance in Greensboro.
- Paperwork-free – Many insurance companies may give you up to $50 for signing up on their website.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or former government employment can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your auto insurance provider.
Just know that some credits don’t apply to the whole policy. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts are included below.
- State Farm may offer discounts for driver’s education, accident-free, safe vehicle, student away at school, and defensive driving training.
- GEICO includes discounts for seat belt use, air bags, anti-lock brakes, good student, military active duty, membership and employees, and daytime running lights.
- SAFECO offers discounts including safe driver, bundle discounts, multi-car, accident prevention training, teen safe driver, and homeowner.
- Farmers Insurance may include discounts for youthful driver, electronic funds transfer, early shopping, alternative fuel, distant student, and switch companies.
- AAA may have discounts that include multi-policy, multi-car, education and occupation, good student, anti-theft, and good driver.
- USAA discounts include loyalty savings, driver training, safe driver, good student, vehicle storage, military installation, and new vehicle.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each insurance company what discounts are available to you. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be offered in Greensboro. To locate insurance companies who offer cheap Ford C-Max Hybrid insurance quotes in Greensboro, click this link.
Can’t I compare rate quotes from local Greensboro auto insurance agents?
A lot of people still like to visit with an insurance agent and that is not a bad decision An additional benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to. And supporting local agencies is important particularly in Greensboro.
Upon completion of this simple form, the quote information is immediately sent to local insurance agents in Greensboro that can give you free Greensboro car insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to contact any agents since rate quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you wish to compare prices from a specific company, you just need to jump over to their website and complete a quote there.
The type of auto insurance agent you choose is important
If you prefer to buy insurance from a local insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they operate. Insurance policy providers are either independent agents or exclusive agents.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents are not limited to a single company so they can quote policies with multiple insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the business is moved internally and you won’t have to switch agencies.
If you are comparing insurance prices, you will want to contact multiple independent agents to get the best comparison. Most also write with small regional insurance companies that may provide cheaper insurance rates.
Shown below are Greensboro independent insurance agents that can give you price quote information.
- The Beacon Insurance Group
1515 W Cornwallis Dr Suite 206 – Greensboro, NC 27408 – (336) 378-0740 – View Map - Nationwide Insurance: Michael Bare Agency
2828 Battleground Ave Ste C – Greensboro, NC 27408 – (336) 282-5033 – View Map - Piedmont Triad Insurance, Inc.
7 Battleground Ct Ste. 224 – Greensboro, NC 27408 – (336) 282-5555 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
These type of agents normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot provide prices from multiple companies so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. These agents are very knowledgeable on what they offer which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Drivers often buy from the same agent for years mainly due to the prominent brand name and strong financial ratings.
Shown below are exclusive insurance agents in Greensboro that can give you rate quotes.
- Zach Crutchfield – State Farm Insurance Agent
3608 W Friendly Ave #207 – Greensboro, NC 27410 – (336) 547-0316 – View Map - Pam White – State Farm Insurance Agent
2608 Oakcrest Ave – Greensboro, NC 27408 – (336) 282-1111 – View Map - Barry Morgan – State Farm Insurance Agent
2001 N O Henry Blvd Srv Rd b – Greensboro, NC 27407 – (336) 294-3894 – View Map
Choosing an auto insurance agent should include more criteria than just a cheap quote. Below are some questions you should ask.
- Do they get paid more for recommending certain coverages?
- Are they able to provide referrals?
- Is auto insurance their primary focus in Greensboro?
- Do they offer claims assistance after hours?
- How long has their agency been in business in Greensboro?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- Will they take your side in the event of a claim?
Greensboro auto insurance companies ranked
Ending up with the right auto insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many different companies sell coverage in North Carolina. The information in the lists below may help you pick which companies you want to consider purchasing coverage from.
Top 10 Greensboro Car Insurance Companies by A.M. Best Rank
- Travelers – A++
- USAA – A++
- GEICO – A++
- State Farm – A++
- Titan Insurance – A+
- Esurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- The Hartford – A+
- Allstate – A+
Top 10 Greensboro Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Travelers
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- American Family
- Esurance
- Titan Insurance
- AAA Insurance
How much can you save?
As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your strategy should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including questionable increases in premium, policy non-renewal, policy cancellation or even poor customer service. Whatever your reason, finding a new auto insurance company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
Discount Ford C-Max Hybrid insurance in Greensboro is available from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so you need to shop Greensboro car insurance with both to have the best rate selection. Some companies may not have the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies work with local independent agencies.
For more information, link through to these articles:
- Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a Subaru Forester in Greensboro? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for a Nissan Altima in Greensboro? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for a Hyundai Elantra in Greensboro? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for Handicapped Drivers in Greensboro? (FAQ)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)