Trying to find low cost Buick Regal insurance in Honolulu is quite difficult for drivers who are new to online price comparisons. People have so many options available that it can be a burden to find the best prices.
Steps to finding better rates for Buick Regal insurance in Honolulu
To save the most money, the best way to get cheaper auto insurance rates is to compare prices once a year from companies in Honolulu. Price quotes can be compared by following these guidelines.
First, learn about how auto insurance works and the factors you can control to lower rates. Many things that cause rate increases such as at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and a not-so-good credit history can be rectified by making minor changes to your lifestyle. This article provides the details to help prevent high rates and find missing discounts.
Second, compare price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide price quotes from many different companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to your current policy premium and see if you can save money. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
A good tip to remember is that you use identical limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to get prices from as many auto insurance providers as possible. Doing this enables an accurate price comparison and a better comparison of the market.
It goes without saying that car insurance companies want to keep you from comparing rates. Consumers who compare price quotes are inclined to switch to a new company because there are good odds of finding more affordable rates. A recent survey revealed that people who compared prices once a year saved about $3,400 over four years compared to those who never compared other company’s rates.
If finding the lowest rates on insurance is the reason you’re here, then having a grasp of the best way to quote and compare insurance coverage can make it easier for you to save money.
The goal of this article is to teach you a little about the best ways to compare prices. If you already have coverage, you should be able to cut your premiums using this information. But Hawaii drivers need to learn the methods companies use to charge you for coverage because it varies considerably.
How to Lower Your Insurance Rates
Multiple criteria are used when you get a price on insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, but others are more obscure such as whether you are married or how financially stable you are. Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning some of the elements that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. If you have a feel for what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
- Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Some insurers give lower prices to insureds who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Discounts can be ten percent or more. Even if you qualify for this discount already, it’s always a smart idea to comparison shop to guarantee you are still saving the most. It’s possible to still save even more than the discount by buying from different companies
- When should you not file policy claims? – Car insurance companies in Hawaii give cheaper rates to policyholders who are claim-free. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Your car insurance is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Avoid unnecessary extra policy coverages – Insurance policies have a lot of extra bells and whistles that sound like a good idea at the time if you don’t pay attention. Insurance for replacement cost coverage, death and dismemberment, and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if they’re wasting money think about removing them and cutting costs.
- Raising coverage deductibles lowers premiums – The deductibles are how much the insured will be required to pay if a claim is determined to be covered. Coverage for physical damage, aka comp and collision, insures against damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply could be rear-ending another vehicle, fire damage, and having a roll-over accident. The higher the amount you choose to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.
- GPS tracking and theft deterrents reduce rates – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Advanced theft deterrents such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent your car from being stolen.
- Your vocation and auto insurance rates – Do you have a high-stress occupation? Careers like real estate brokers, airline pilots, and accountants have the highest average rates in part from job stress and long work days. On the flip side, jobs like professors, athletes and performers get better rates.
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Claims statistics for a Buick Regal – Auto insurance companies analyze claim trends for every vehicle to help determine the rate you pay. Models that the data determines to have higher claim amounts or frequency will have higher premium rates.
The table shown below demonstrates the insurance loss data for Buick Regal vehicles. For each policy coverage type, the claim amount for all vehicles as a whole is set at 100. Values that are below 100 indicate better than average losses, while values over 100 indicate a higher chance of having a claim or an increased likelihood of larger losses.
Auto Insurance Loss Data for Buick Regal Models Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Buick Regal 2WD 96 92 82 104 94 97 Buick Regal 4WD 113 87 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEEmpty fields indicate not enough data collected
Data Source: iihs.org (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for 2013-2015 Model Years
When price shopping your coverage, getting more free quotes helps locate a better price.
The companies shown below offer comparison quotes in Honolulu, HI. If multiple companies are shown, it’s a good idea that you get prices from several of them in order to find the cheapest rates.
Insurance in Hawaii serves several purposes
Despite the high insurance cost for a Buick Regal in Honolulu, insurance is required by state law in Hawaii and it also provides benefits you may not be aware of.
- Most states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a minimum amount of liability protection in order to get the vehicle licensed. In Hawaii these limits are 20/40/10 which means you must have $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $40,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your Buick Regal has a loan, almost every bank will force you to buy insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank will be required to insure your Buick for a much higher rate and force you to pay for the expensive policy.
- Insurance protects not only your Buick Regal but also your assets. It will also reimburse you for many types of medical costs for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you are sued as the result of an accident. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, comprehensive and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance definitely exceed the price paid, especially when you need to use it. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver is overpaying over $869 every year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison each time the policy renews to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Verify you’re applying every discount
Companies offering auto insurance don’t list all possible discounts very clearly, so we break down a few of the more common and the more hidden car insurance savings. If you do not check that you are getting every discount you deserve, you could be paying more than you need to.
- Waiver for an Accident – Not really a discount, but companies like State Farm and Allstate allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to being involved in the accident.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Select car insurance companies reward you with better prices if you take out auto and life insurance together.
- Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could cut 10% or more off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Drive Safe and Save – Insureds who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than less cautious drivers.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you could earn a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
You can save money using discounts, but most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works. Any amount of discount will cut your policy premiums.
A list of car insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.
- State Farm offers discounts for multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, driver’s education, good driver, and student away at school.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including homeowner, switch companies, good student, pay in full, teen driver, and alternative fuel.
- Progressive has discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, online signing, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
- GEICO discounts include seat belt use, air bags, defensive driver, good student, multi-policy, and membership and employees.
- Auto-Owners Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, teen driver, company car, mature driver, and multiple vehicles.
- The Hartford may have discounts that include defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, driver training, air bag, good student, and anti-theft.
- Farm Bureau includes discounts for renewal discount, good student, multi-vehicle, driver training, safe driver, and youthful driver.
- USAA has savings for defensive driver, military installation, safe driver, multi-vehicle, family discount, and new vehicle.
Before buying, ask all companies you are considering what discounts are available to you. Savings might not be offered on policies in your state. If you would like to see a list of car insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above in Honolulu, click here.
Are car insurance agents of importance?
Certain consumers just prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and that is just fine! The biggest benefit of comparing car insurance online is that you can obtain cheap rate quotes and also buy local. And buying from local insurance agents is important especially in Honolulu.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your information is sent to local insurance agents in Honolulu that can provide free Honolulu car insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to contact any insurance agencies since rate quotes are delivered to your email. You can get cheaper car insurance rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you want to compare rates from a specific company, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and complete a quote there.
How to choose the best auto insurance agent in Honolulu
If you’re trying to find local Honolulu agents, you need to know there are two different types of agents that you can select. Insurance agencies in Honolulu can be classified as either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Independent Car Insurance Agents
Independent agencies do not write with just one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. If they find a cheaper price, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, it’s recommended you get rate quotes from independent agents to have the most options to choose from. Most have the option of insuring with small mutual carriers which can be an advantage.
Featured below is a partial list of independent insurance agencies in Honolulu that can give you free rate quotes.
- Island Insurance Hawaii
1022 Bethel St – Honolulu, HI 96813 – (808) 643-4000 – View Map - John H Connors Insurance
500 Ala Moana Blvd # 2303 – Honolulu, HI 96813 – (808) 534-7300 – View Map - Pyramid Insurance Center Ltd
420 Waiakamilo Rd – Honolulu, HI 96817 – (808) 527-7667 – View Map
Exclusive Car Insurance Agencies
These agents can only provide pricing for a single company and some examples include AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents cannot place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. These agents receive extensive training on what they offer which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Some consumers prefer to buy insurance from these agents mainly due to high brand loyalty and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
The following are Honolulu exclusive insurance agencies who can help you get price quote information.
- Allstate Insurance: Thomas Choi
1130 N Nimitz Hwy Rm A260 – Honolulu, HI 96817 – (808) 664-0970 – View Map - Scott Saito – State Farm Insurance Agent
1150 S King St #901d – Honolulu, HI 96814 – (808) 946-8464 – View Map - State Farm: Darin Ono
1649 Liliha St – Honolulu, HI 96817 – (808) 834-2222 – View Map
Finding a good auto insurance agent is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. The answers to these questions are important, too.
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
- Do you need full coverage on every vehicle?
- When do they do a full risk review?
- Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in Honolulu?
- Will a damage claim use OEM or aftermarket replacement parts?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
In Summary
While you’re price shopping online, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where someone dropped collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big error on their part. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost, not the least amount of coverage.
People change insurance companies for any number of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, delays in responding to claim requests, poor customer service or even policy non-renewal. Whatever your reason, switching companies can be less work than you think.
Lower-priced auto insurance in Honolulu can be bought from both online companies and with local Honolulu insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some auto insurance companies may not have online quoting and usually these smaller companies only sell coverage through local independent agencies.
Steps to finding the cheapest rates for Buick Regal insurance in Honolulu
If saving money is your primary concern, then the best way to find low-cost prices for Buick Regal insurance in Honolulu is to begin comparing prices regularly from providers in Hawaii.
- Take a few minutes and learn about policy coverages and the measures you can control to keep rates down. Many things that result in higher rates such as tickets, at-fault accidents, and a not-so-good credit history can be rectified by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
- Compare rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give rate quotes from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agents can give you price quotes for many different companies.
- Compare the new rate quotes to the price on your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available in Honolulu. If you find a lower rate quote, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
- Tell your current agent or company of your decision to cancel your current coverage and submit a completed policy application and payment to the new insurer. As soon as you receive it, put the new proof of insurance paperwork along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
One key aspect when comparing rates is to compare similar limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to look at as many different companies as possible. This ensures a level playing field and a complete price analysis.
For more information, link through to the following helpful articles:
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for High Risk Drivers in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for Active Military in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)