Are you looking for a better way to compare low-cost Lincoln LS insurance in Charlotte? Trying to find better insurance prices for a Lincoln LS in North Carolina can be an all-consuming task, but you can follow our insurance buying tips to make it easier.
There is a right way and a wrong way to shop for insurance and you need to know the best way to get price quotes for your Lincoln and obtain the lowest possible price.
A study showed that most insurance buyers have stayed with the same insurance company for more than four years, and just under half have never compared quotes from other companies. Many consumers in North Carolina could pocket up to $100 a year just by getting comparison quotes, but they underestimate how much savings they would realize if they swap their current policy for a cheaper one.
It’s a great practice to take a look at other company’s rates before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the best deal on Lincoln LS insurance in Charlotte a couple years back there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Block out anything you think you know about insurance because we’re going to demonstrate how to use online quotes to get good coverage on Lincoln LS insurance in Charlotte at a lower rate.
How You Can Control Lincoln LS Insurance Prices
It’s important that you understand the different types of things that are used to determine your policy premiums. If you have some idea of what determines premiums, this enables you to make decisions that will entitle you to lower premium levels. Multiple criteria are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are obvious such as traffic violations, but other factors are not as apparent like where you live or your vehicle rating.
Cheaper rates after marriage – Having a spouse may cut your premiums when shopping for car insurance. Having a significant other generally demonstrates drivers are more mature and statistics prove married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Stress out and pay more – Do you have a high-stress occupation? Careers like military generals, air traffic controllers, and emergency personnel tend to have the highest average rates because of intense work requirements and extremely grueling work hours. Other careers like actors, historians and retirees get better rates.
Extra policy coverages can add up – Insurance policies have a lot of additional coverages that may not really be needed on your car insurance policy. Things like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness, and extra life insurance coverage are examples of these. They may sound like good ideas when discussing your needs, but if you’ve never needed them in the past remove them and pocket the money.
Annual mileage impacts rates – The higher the miles on your Lincoln every year the higher the price you pay to insure it. Most insurance companies rate vehicles based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Cars that are left in the garage get more affordable rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. It’s a smart idea to ensure your car insurance declarations sheet properly reflects annual mileage. Improper usage on your LS may be wasting your money.
When should you not file car insurance claims? – Auto insurance companies in North Carolina provide discounts to drivers who do not file claims often. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Insurance coverage is intended for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
Save money by having multiple policies – Some companies provide lower prices to people that have more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. If you currently are using one company, drivers will still want to get quotes from other companies to ensure the best deal.
Safety first – Vehicles with good safety scores cost less to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety reduce the chance of injuries and reduced instances of injuries translates directly to fewer claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
The companies shown below offer comparison quotes in Charlotte, NC. If you wish to find cheap auto insurance in Charlotte, it’s a good idea that you visit several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Why you need insurance for your Lincoln vehicle
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Lincoln in Charlotte, paying for car insurance is required in North Carolina but also provides important benefits.
- Most states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires a specific level of liability 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.
- If you bought your LS with a loan, more than likely the lender will require that you have insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you do not keep the policy in force, the lender may insure your Lincoln at a much higher premium rate and force you to pay much more than you were paying before.
- Car insurance protects both your Lincoln and your assets. It will also pay for all forms of medical expenses for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. Liability coverage will also pay for a defense attorney if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your Lincoln as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of insuring your car more than cancel out the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. But the average driver in North Carolina is overpaying over $810 a year so you should quote your policy with other companies at every policy renewal to ensure rates are competitive.
These discounts can lower your auto insurance quotes
Some insurance providers don’t always advertise every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the next list breaks down some of the more common and also the lesser-known credits that may apply to you.
- Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
- Professional Organizations – Belonging to a qualifying organization can get you a small discount on auto insurance.
- Low Mileage – Maintaining low annual mileage could earn slightly better auto insurance rates than normal.
- Full Payment Discount – By paying your entire bill at once instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars and trucks with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying coverage for multiple vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed in the military could mean lower auto insurance rates.
- Driver Safety – Successfully completing a safe driver course could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
You can save money using discounts, but most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
The best auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are included below.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts including good student, youthful driver, safe driver, renewal discount, and multi-vehicle.
- MetLife may offer discounts for claim-free, good student, multi-policy, accident-free, good driver, and defensive driver.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online quote discount, good student, homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online signing, and continuous coverage.
- AAA has savings for multi-car, education and occupation, pay-in-full, multi-policy, good student, and good driver.
- American Family discounts include air bags, early bird, multi-vehicle, TimeAway discount, and good driver.
- GEICO offers discounts for multi-vehicle, defensive driver, anti-theft, multi-policy, five-year accident-free, and federal employee.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for multiple policy, good student, student away at school, multiple autos, and good driver.
Before purchasing a policy, check with every company which credits you are entitled to. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered in your state. To see companies that offer discounts in Charlotte, follow this link.
Comparing quotes from local Charlotte insurance agencies
Some consumers just prefer to buy from a local agent and that is a smart decision Licensed agents can help determine the best coverages and help you file claims. A nice benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find cheap car insurance rates and still choose a local agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is important particularly in Charlotte.
By using this short form, your information is sent to participating agents in Charlotte that provide free Charlotte auto insurance quotes for your business. You never need to visit any agencies due to the fact that quote results will go instantly to you. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a specific company, don’t hesitate to search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
If you need to find a good insurance agency, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that you can select. Car insurance agencies can be classified as either exclusive or independent. Either can write policy coverage, but it’s worth mentioning the differences since it can impact which agent you choose.
Independent Car Insurance Agents
These type of agents often have many company appointments so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies and get you the best rates possible. If they find a lower price, they simply move the coverage in-house and you stay with the same agent. When comparing rates, you definitely need to get some free quotes from at least one independent agent so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare. Most can insure with additional companies that you may not be familiar with that many times have cheaper rates.
The following are Charlotte independent agents who may be able to give you free price quotes.
- Biggs Insurance Group
13850 Ballantyne Corporate Pl #500 – Charlotte, NC 28277 – (704) 369-5270 – View Map - Southeast Insurance Agency
212 S Tryon St #1605 – Charlotte, NC 28281 – (704) 885-8006 – View Map - The Hoffman Agency, LLC
2015 Ayrsley Town Blvd – Charlotte, NC 28273 – (704) 280-8585 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that choose to be exclusive have only one company to place business with such as AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. They usually cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. Exclusive agents receive extensive training on sales techniques which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Some people will only buy insurance from these agents partially due to the brand legacy and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
The following is a short list of exclusive agencies in Charlotte that are able to give rate quotes.
- George Pettice – State Farm Insurance Agent
820 Tyvola Rd #103 – Charlotte, NC 28217 – (704) 523-1717 – View Map - Alex Williamson – State Farm Insurance Agent
4108 Park Rd #106 – Charlotte, NC 28209 – (704) 525-9995 – View Map - State Farm: Jeremy Fulkerson
4805 Park Rd #103 – Charlotte, NC 28209 – (704) 523-9005 – View Map
Choosing the best insurance agency requires you to look at more than just a cheap price. Any good agent in Charlotte should know the answers to these questions.
- What insurance companies do they work with in Charlotte?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Is there a local claims center in Charlotte?
- What is the financial rating for the quoted company?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- What company do they have the most business with?
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
Once you have received good feedback for all questions you ask and an acceptable price quote, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that meets the requirements to insure your vehicles. Just remember you are entitled to cancel your coverage at any point so never feel you are locked into the car insurance policy indefinitely.
It’s not one size fits all
When quoting and choosing your policy for your vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Your needs are unique to you so your insurance should reflect that
For example, these questions can help discover whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Is my trailer covered?
- Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
- Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
- Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
- Should I get collision insurance on every vehicle?
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
- Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It is quick, free and you can get the answers you need.
Cheap car insurance is out there
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best possible price while not skimping on critical coverages.
In this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on Lincoln LS insurance in Charlotte. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from a small local company. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive and GEICO.
Some insurance providers do not offer rates over the internet and usually these smaller companies only sell through local independent agencies. More affordable car insurance in Charlotte can be bought both online in addition to local insurance agencies, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money.
How to find low-cost rates for Lincoln LS insurance in Charlotte
The most effective way to quote cheaper car insurance rates is to regularly compare quotes from providers in Charlotte.
- First, try to learn about coverages and the things you can control to drop your rates. Many policy risk factors that result in higher prices like your driving record and poor credit history can be amended by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
- Second, request price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates from multiple sources.
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage and determine if there is any savings. If you can save some money and switch companies, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
One key aspect when comparing rates is to compare identical coverages on every price quote and and to get price estimates from every insurance company. This provides a fair price comparison and maximum price selection.
More information is available below:
- Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Versa in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Quotes for Homeowners in Charlotte? (FAQ)
- Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)
- What does Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Cover? (Allstate)
- Vehicle Size and Weight FAQ (iihs.org)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)