To save the most money, the best way to find cheaper Chevy Cavalier insurance in Tampa is to start comparing rates regularly from insurers that insure vehicles in Florida.
- First, take a few minutes and learn about how car insurance works and the modifications you can make to lower rates. Many rating criteria that cause high rates such as tickets, at-fault accidents, and your credit history can be controlled by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Continue reading for ideas to prevent expensive rate increases and find discounts that may have been missed.
- Second, request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can quote rates for many different companies.
- Third, compare the new rates to the premium of your current policy and see if there is a cheaper rate in Tampa. If you can save money, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
- Fourth, give notification to your agent or company to cancel your current auto insurance policy and submit the required down payment along with the signed application to the new company. As soon as you have the new policy, place the new certificate verifying proof of insurance in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.
One bit of advice is that you use identical deductibles and limits on each price quote and and to get prices from as many companies as possible. This guarantees a fair rate comparison and the most accurate and complete price analysis.
It’s well known that insurance companies don’t want customers comparing rates. People who shop around for better prices are very likely to switch auto insurance companies because there is a significant possibility of finding a more affordable policy. Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that people who compared rate quotes regularly saved $850 each year as compared to drivers who never compared prices.
If finding budget-friendly car insurance in Tampa is your goal, then having a grasp of how to find and compare insurance premiums can help you be more efficient.
Auto insurance providers offering cheap rates in Florida
The providers in the list below are our best choices to provide quotes in Florida. If you wish to find the best cheap auto insurance in Tampa, FL, we recommend you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Earn discounts on Tampa car insurance
Car insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but you may qualify for discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Many discounts should be triggered when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be specially asked for before they will apply.
- Auto/Life Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are much safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Good Students Pay Less – Excelling in school could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. The discount lasts until age 25.
- Full Payment Discount – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time as opposed to paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- Good Driver Discounts – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
- Defensive Driver – Taking time to complete a course that instructs on driving safety may get you a small discount and also improve your driving technique.
Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the whole policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you aren’t that lucky. But all discounts will help lower the cost of coverage.
To locate companies that provide some of the discounts listed above in Tampa, follow this link.
When to contact a local insurance agent
Some consumers just want to sit down with an agent and that is a smart decision A nice benefit of comparing insurance prices online is that drivers can save money and get cheaper rates and still have a local agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your information is submitted to local insurance agents in Tampa that give free quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to drive around since rate quotes are delivered to your email. You can get cheaper insurance rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If for some reason you want to compare rates for a specific company, don’t hesitate to find their quoting web page and fill out their quote form.
Selecting a insurance company requires more thought than just a cheap price. These are some questions your agent should answer.
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- By raising physical damage deductibles, how much would you save?
- Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
- How long has the business existed?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
If you prefer to buy insurance from a good Tampa insurance agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents and how they can write your policy. Insurance agencies can either be exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Exclusive Agencies
Exclusive agencies can only quote rates from one company like Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. They generally cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Exclusive agents are usually well trained on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage. Some insured continue to buy from the same agent for years mainly due to the brand instead of buying on price only.
Shown below are Tampa exclusive agents that can give you rate quotes.
- Allstate Insurance: Bruce Kestenbaum
320 E Fletcher Ave – Tampa, FL 33612 – (813) 513-8800 – View Map - State Farm: Stan White
3204 Cove Bend Dr – Tampa, FL 33613 – (813) 971-1123 – View Map - Doug MacDaid – State Farm Insurance Agent
8910 N Dale Mabry Hwy #3 – Tampa, FL 33614 – (813) 935-2937 – View Map
Independent Agents
Independent agencies are normally appointed by many insurers and that enables them to quote your coverage with a variety of different insurance companies and find you the best rates. If you want to switch companies, they can switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured.
When comparing insurance prices, you need to get several quotes from at least one independent agent to get the most accurate price comparison. Most also have access to mutual insurance companies that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Shown below are independent insurance agencies in Tampa that are able to give price quote information.
- Phil Cole Whitco Insurance Agency
6601 Memorial Hwy #230 – Tampa, FL 33615 – (813) 884-7577 – View Map - Duarte Insurance Agency, Inc.
5512 N Armenia Ave # A – Tampa, FL 33603 – (813) 874-3222 – View Map - A Complete Insurance Agency
5008 W Linebaugh Ave – Tampa, FL 33624 – (813) 865-9000 – View Map
Insurance coverage breakdown
Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Collision – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Cavalier resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against things like backing into a parked car, driving through your garage door, hitting a parking meter, crashing into a ditch and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible on your Cavalier to save money on collision insurance.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many Florida drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (10/20/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Comprehensive insurance – This coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding, hitting a deer, a broken windshield and vandalism. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Liability coverages – Liability coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show policy limits of 10/20/10 which stand for a $10,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $20,000, and $10,000 of coverage for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, structural damage, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Florida requires drivers to carry at least 10/20/10 but you should consider buying more coverage.
The next chart shows why minimum state limits may not be enough coverage.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for expenses like rehabilitation expenses, EMT expenses and hospital visits. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Cheaper car insurance premiums are possible
We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to shop for Chevy Cavalier insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding affordable Tampa auto insurance quotes. Consumers may even find the lowest prices are with some of the smallest insurance companies.
Low-cost Chevy Cavalier insurance in Tampa is definitely available both online as well as from insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some companies don’t offer price quotes online and these small, regional companies work with independent agencies.
Insureds switch companies for many reasons like unfair underwriting practices, extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in responding to claim requests or even high prices. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
More detailed car insurance information is available in these articles:
- Vehicle Insurance (Wikipedia)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for a Ford Fusion in Tampa? (FAQ)
- Anti-Lock Brake FAQ (iihs.org)
- When is the Right Time to Switch Car Insurance Companies? (Allstate)