It’s safe to conclude that insurance companies don’t want you quoting rates from other companies. Drivers who compare rates once a year will most likely move their business because they have a good chance of finding discount prices. A study showed that drivers who faithfully checked for cheaper rates saved on average $3,450 over four years compared to people who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding the lowest price for car insurance in New Orleans is your ultimate objective, then understanding how to find and compare cheaper coverage can make the process more efficient.
The recommended way to get affordable auto insurance rates in New Orleans is to start doing a yearly price comparison from different companies in Louisiana.
- First, it will benefit you to learn about the different coverages in a policy and the changes you can make to drop your rates. Many rating criteria that cause high rates such as multiple speeding tickets and an imperfect credit history can be amended by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. Keep reading for information to get cheaper coverage and find discounts that you may qualify for.
- Second, request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can give quotes from one company like Progressive and State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates from multiple companies.
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage and determine if cheaper Magnum coverage is available in New Orleans. If you find a lower rate quote, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
- Fourth, provide notification to your current company of your intention to cancel your current policy. Submit a down payment and signed policy application for your new policy. Once the application is submitted, place your new proof of insurance paperwork in an easily accessible location.
One bit of advice is that you use identical coverage information on every price quote and and to get rate quotes from every company you can. Doing this helps ensure the most accurate price comparison and a thorough selection of prices.
Choosing the best rates in New Orleans is quite easy if you know the best way to do it. If you have insurance now, you will most likely be able to find the best rates using these techniques. But Louisiana car owners should learn the way insurance companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.
The are a couple different ways to compare rate quotes from many car insurance companies in Louisiana. The best method to find the lowest Dodge Magnum rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online.
It’s important to know that comparing more prices helps increase your odds of locating a better price.
The auto insurance companies shown below provide free rate quotes in New Orleans, LA. If your goal is to find cheap auto insurance in New Orleans, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Auto insurance policy discounts for Dodge Magnum insurance in New Orleans
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but there may be some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of quoting, but a few must be manually applied before they will apply.
- College Student Discount – Children who live away from home at college and leave their car at home could qualify for this discount.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can save substantially in comparison to policyholders that have many claims.
- Passive Restraints – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings as much as 30%.
- Defensive Driver Discount – Participating in a course that instructs on driving safety could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
- Switch and Save Discount – A few auto insurance companies offer discounts for switching companies early. This can save 10% or more.
- E-sign – Certain companies will provide an incentive for completing your application online.
As a sidenote, most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
If you would like to view insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Louisiana, click here.
Are insurance agents obsolete?
A small number of people would prefer to go talk to an agent and doing so can bring peace of mind A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is the fact that drivers can get the best rates and still have an agent to talk to.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your insurance coverage information gets sent to participating agents in New Orleans that provide free New Orleans auto insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to contact an agency since rate quotes are delivered directly to your email. You can find the lowest rates without requiring a lot of work. If you wish to quote rates from a specific company, you can always go to their quote page and complete a quote there.
Finding a good insurer requires more thought than just a cheap price quote. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- What is the financial rating for the quoted company?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
- How long has the business existed?
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
Insurance agent types
If you want a reliable insurance agency, you should know the different agency structures and how they are slightly different. Auto insurance agents in New Orleans can be classified as either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents in the exclusive channel have only one company to place business with and examples are Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, and AAA. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so you need to shop around if the rates are high. These agents are usually well trained in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents. A lot of people purchase coverage from exclusives mainly due to high brand loyalty and solid financial strength.
Shown below is a list of exclusive agents in New Orleans who may provide you with rate quotes.
- Cas Fontenot State Farm®
3201 General De Gaulle Dr #103 – New Orleans, LA 70114 – (504) 366-8686 – View Map - Randy Bordlee – State Farm Insurance Agent
4650 General De Gaulle Dr #102 – New Orleans, LA 70131 – (504) 392-9300 – View Map - Derek Morel – State Farm Insurance Agent
5555 Bullard Ave #104 – New Orleans, LA 70128 – (504) 247-9241 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agents often have affiliation with several companies so they can insure your vehicles through many different auto insurance companies and get you the best rates possible. If prices rise, an independent agent can move your coverage and you stay with the same agent.
When comparing rates, you absolutely need to include price quotes from several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection. Most independent agents also contract with less well-known companies that many times have cheaper rates.
Listed below are New Orleans independent insurance agents that can give you price quotes.
- Southern Insurance Agency, LLC
725 Magazine St E – New Orleans, LA 70130 – (504) 528-9242 – View Map - Murphy Insurance LLC
2107 Soniat St – New Orleans, LA 70115 – (504) 899-8010 – View Map - Olympus Insurance Agency
101 W Robert E Lee Blvd #405 – New Orleans, LA 70124 – (504) 535-7755 – View Map
Your situation helps dictate your coverage
Always remember that when buying the right insurance coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is unique and your auto insurance should be unique as well.
Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- How many claims can I have before being canceled?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
- Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Louisiana?
- If I use my vehicle for business use is it covered?
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- Can I cancel at any time?
- What is medical payments coverage?
- Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.
Why you need vehicle insurance in Louisiana
Despite the high cost, car insurance is required in Louisiana but also provides important benefits.
- Most states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires specific limits of liability insurance coverage in order to drive the car legally. In Louisiana these limits are 15/30/25 which means you must have $15,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you have a lien on your vehicle, it’s most likely the lender will make it mandatory that you carry insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Dodge at a much higher premium rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
- Insurance safeguards not only your vehicle but also your financial assets. Insurance will also pay for most medical and hospital costs for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. Liability coverage also covers legal expenses if you are sued as the result of your driving. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of having car insurance definitely exceed the price paid, particularly for liability claims. As of last year, the average driver in Louisiana is overpaying over $869 every year so shop around every year to make sure the price is not too high.
Auto insurance coverages
Having a good grasp of insurance can help you determine the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are the usual coverages available from insurance companies.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Dodge Magnum.
Since many Louisiana drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Louisiana limits are 15/30/25), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer and theft. The most your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Auto liability
Liability coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 15/30/25 which means $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $30,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, medical services, funeral expenses and emergency aid. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Louisiana requires drivers to carry at least 15/30/25 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
The next chart shows why buying the state minimum limits may not be adequate coverage.
Collision coverage protection
This will pay to fix damage to your Magnum caused by collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things such as rolling your car, damaging your car on a curb, colliding with another moving vehicle, hitting a mailbox and scraping a guard rail. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible on your Magnum in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Medical expense insurance
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses for things like hospital visits, funeral costs and rehabilitation expenses. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
What is the best car insurance company in Louisiana?
Finding the right auto insurance provider can be challenging considering how many companies sell insurance in New Orleans. The company rank data in the next section can help you analyze which providers you want to consider when shopping around.
Top 10 New Orleans Car Insurance Companies Overall
- Travelers
- USAA
- Mercury Insurance
- AAA Insurance
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Safeco Insurance
- Progressive
Top 10 New Orleans Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Travelers
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- American Family
- Esurance
- Titan Insurance
- AAA Insurance
What is YOUR best insurance company?
We just presented some good ideas how to reduce Dodge Magnum insurance premium rates online in New Orleans. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding affordable New Orleans auto insurance quotes. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a small local company. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.
Lower-priced Dodge Magnum insurance in New Orleans can be bought from both online companies in addition to many New Orleans insurance agents, so you need to shop New Orleans auto insurance with both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent agents.
When shopping online for insurance, do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where an insured dropped full coverage to discover at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
More detailed insurance information is located at these sites:
- Auto Insurance for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Much are New Orleans Car Insurance Quotes for 4×4 Vehicles? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for 18 Year Olds in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)
- Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)