It’s shocking but nearly 70% of consumers kept their coverage with the same car insurance company for a minimum of four years, and approximately 38% of consumers have never shopped around. With the average premium in Louisiana being $2,900, drivers could pocket 35% a year by just comparing rate quotes, but most just don’t grasp the amount of savings they would get if they moved their coverage to a different company.
If you want to save the most money, the best way to find discount auto insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from companies in New Orleans.
First, try to learn a little about how insurance companies determine prices and the measures you can control to drop your rates. Many policy risk factors that cause high rates such as at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and a poor credit rating can be remedied by paying attention to minor details.
Second, compare prices from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can provide rates from one company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agencies can provide rate quotes from many different companies.
Third, compare the new rates to your existing policy to determine if you can save on Atlas insurance. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
Fourth, provide written notification to your current company of your intention to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit the completed application along with a down payment for the new policy. Immediately store the certificate verifying proof of insurance in your vehicle.
The key thing to remember is that you use the same deductibles and limits on each quote and and to get price estimates from as many companies as possible. Doing this provides the most accurate price comparison and maximum price selection.
Buying the cheapest car insurance in New Orleans can really be easy if you know what you’re doing. Just about every driver who has to buy car insurance will be able to save money. But Louisiana vehicle owners can benefit by having an understanding of how big insurance companies calculate your policy premium and use it to find better rates.
When shopping for Volkswagen Atlas insurance in New Orleans there are multiple ways to compare prices from lots of Louisiana insurance companies. The easiest way by far to find the lowest Volkswagen Atlas rates is to get quotes online.
It’s so easy to compare rates online that it makes it a waste of time to call or drive to different New Orleans agent offices. Quoting Volkswagen Atlas insurance online makes this process obsolete unless you want the trained advice of a local New Orleans agent. Although, it is possible get the lowest quotes online but have your policy serviced through an agent. Keep in mind that making a lot of price comparisons helps locate the best offered rates.
The companies shown below are ready to provide quotes in New Orleans, LA. If you want to find cheap car insurance in Louisiana, we suggest you visit several of them to get the best price comparison.
New Orleans insurance discounts for a Volkswagen Atlas
Insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. Some discounts will apply at quote time, but some must be asked about before being credited.
- Driver Education Discount – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class in high school.
- Club Memberships – Belonging to a qualifying organization could trigger savings when getting a New Orleans car insurance quote.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you combine your home and auto policies and place coverage with the same company you could earn a discount of as much as 10 to 15 percent.
- Cautious Driver Discounts – Drivers without accidents can save up to 40% or more on their New Orleans car insurance quote as compared to drivers with claims.
- Discount for New Cars – Buying a new car model can save you some money because new model year vehicles keep occupants safer.
- Student Discounts – Excelling in school could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
- Paper-free Discount – A handful of companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on your computer.
- One Accident Forgiven – This one isn’t a discount, but some insurance companies may permit one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free before the accident.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
- New Orleans Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in New Orleans can earn you a little savings because it requires personal responsibility.
A quick disclaimer, many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky.
A few of the larger companies and their offered discounts include:
- State Farm offers discounts including accident-free, multiple policy, student away at school, passive restraint, driver’s education, and anti-theft.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for pay in full, alternative fuel, youthful driver, good student, and multi-car.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-vehicle, homeowner, online signing, continuous coverage, and multi-policy.
- GEICO has savings for emergency military deployment, anti-theft, good student, air bags, multi-vehicle, and daytime running lights.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has discounts for anti-lock brakes, multiple vehicles, student away at school, group or association, anti-theft, and teen driver.
- The Hartford discounts include vehicle fuel type, air bag, anti-theft, bundle, and driver training.
- Farm Bureau may include discounts for safe driver, multi-vehicle, youthful driver, good student, driver training, renewal discount, and 55 and retired.
- USAA may have discounts that include loyalty savings, multi-vehicle, driver training, defensive driver, and safe driver.
If you want affordable Volkswagen Atlas insurance quotes, ask all the companies what discounts are available to you. Some discounts may not apply to policies in New Orleans.
Independent and exclusive insurance agents
Certain consumers would rather get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the best bonuses of getting free rate quotes online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still buy from a local agent.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this simple form, your insurance data is submitted to local insurance agents in New Orleans that give free quotes for your business. You don’t have to leave your house as quotes are delivered instantly to you. It’s the lowest rates and work with a local agent. If you wish to compare prices for a specific company, just go to their quote page and submit a quote form there.
Selecting an insurance company should depend on more than just a cheap price. Any agent in New Orleans should have no problem answering these questions:
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
- How experienced are they in personal risk management?
- Is the quote a firm price?
- Do they see any coverage gaps in your plan?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in New Orleans?
- Do they offer accident forgiveness?
Everyone needs different insurance coverages
When quoting and choosing your policy for your vehicles, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
These are some specific questions may help highlight if your insurance needs may require specific advice.
- Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
- Am I covered if my car is in a flood?
- Are rock chip repairs covered?
- What if a claim settlement is too low?
- What if I total my Volkswagen Atlas and owe more than it’s worth?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
- Are rental cars covered under my policy?
- Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.
Learn How to Get Insurance at a Discount
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that aid in calculating your premiums. If you understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this allows you to make good choices that may reward you with lower premium levels.
Listed below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into rates.
Is you employer costing you more? – Careers such as real estate brokers, airline pilots, and miners generally pay higher premium rates because of job stress and extremely grueling work hours. Conversely, professions such as farmers, engineers and retirees have the lowest average rates.
Better prices on vehicles with better crash test results – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have lower insurance rates. Safer cars reduce occupant injuries and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you. If your Volkswagen Atlas has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you are probably receiving a discount.
Does insurance cost more for males? – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn’t mean females are better at driving than males. Males and females are in fender benders at a similar rate, but males tend to have higher claims. Men also get higher numbers of serious violations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Male drivers age 16 to 19 cause the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
Save by driving less – The higher the miles on your Volkswagen in a year’s time the more you will pay for insurance. A lot of companies charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks that sit idle most of the time cost less to insure than vehicles that have high annual mileage. It’s always a good idea to double check that your insurance declarations sheet correctly shows the correct driver usage. An improperly rated Atlas may be wasting your money.
Good drivers pay less – Having just one speeding ticket may cause rates to rise by twenty percent. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Drivers who have gotten serious citations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find that they have to to complete a SR-22 with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
Why you need to buy car insurance
Despite the fact that car insurance is not cheap in New Orleans, insurance is required in Louisiana but it also protects you in many ways.
First, almost all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means the state requires specific minimum amounts of liability in order to license the vehicle. 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.
Second, if your Volkswagen Atlas has a lienholder, more than likely the lender will require that you have full coverage to guarantee loan repayment. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank may insure your Volkswagen for a lot more money and require you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
Third, insurance safeguards not only your vehicle but also your assets. It will also reimburse you for many types of medical costs for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay attorney fees if you are sued as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your Volkswagen as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of having insurance definitely exceed the price paid, particularly for liability claims. The average driver in America overpays more than $750 every year so you should quote your policy with other companies at every policy renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.
The best rates come from being thorough
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best possible price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Consumers switch companies for any number of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, policy cancellation, an unsatisfactory settlement offer or high rates after DUI convictions. Whatever your reason, finding the right car insurance provider is not as difficult as it may seem.
The cheapest Volkswagen Atlas insurance in New Orleans is attainable 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. Some car insurance companies may not provide rate quotes online and these smaller providers work with independent insurance agencies.
Additional detailed information can be found in these articles:
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Much is New Orleans Car Insurance for a 20 Year Old Female? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest New Orleans Car Insurance for College Students? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest New Orleans Car Insurance Rates for a School Permit? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for a Nissan Sentra in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- Vehicle Size and Weight FAQ (iihs.org)
- Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- What does Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Cover? (Allstate)
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)