Sad but true, nearly 70% of consumers kept their policy with the same company for a minimum of four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never compared rates to find cheap insurance. Drivers in the United States could cut their rates by approximately 46.5% a year by just shopping around, but they don’t invest the time required to compare rate quotes online.
If you want to find the absolute lowest rates, then the best way to find cheaper auto insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from insurers that sell auto insurance in New Orleans.
First, gain an understanding of how auto insurance works and the changes you can make to keep rates low. Many risk factors that result in higher rates like traffic violations and a less-than-favorable credit score can be rectified by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. This article gives more ideas to get low prices and find additional discounts you may qualify for.
Second, obtain price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only quote rates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide rate quotes from many different companies.
Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage to see if a cheaper price is available in New Orleans. If you can save some money, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
Fourth, notify your company or agent to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit the completed application along with a down payment to the new company. As soon as you have the new policy, put the new certificate verifying proof of insurance in your glove compartment.
A key point to remember is to use the same liability limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to look at as many car insurance companies as possible. This provides the most accurate price comparison and maximum price selection.
If you are insured now or want to find a cheaper company, use these techniques to reduce the price you pay and still have adequate protection. Locating the most cost-effective insurance policy in New Orleans is really not that difficult. You just need to understand the quickest way to shop their coverage around from multiple carriers.
Best companies for competitive Saturn VUE insurance in Louisiana
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide free rate quotes in New Orleans, LA. If you want cheaper car insurance in LA, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Analysis of Saturn VUE rates
The table displayed next covers a range of policy rates for Saturn VUE models. Learning more about how auto insurance policy rates are figured is important to be able to make informed coverage decisions.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vue XE 2WD | $308 | $492 | $436 | $26 | $130 | $1,392 | $116 |
| Vue XR 2WD | $308 | $600 | $436 | $26 | $130 | $1,500 | $125 |
| Vue XR-L 2WD | $348 | $600 | $436 | $26 | $130 | $1,540 | $128 |
| Vue XR AWD | $348 | $600 | $436 | $26 | $130 | $1,540 | $128 |
| Vue XR-L AWD | $348 | $706 | $436 | $26 | $130 | $1,646 | $137 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Data assumes married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Louisiana minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in specific location which can change premium rates substantially.
The illustration below illustrates how your choice of deductibles and can affect Saturn VUE insurance prices for different insured age categories. The rates are based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.
Does full coverage make sense?
The example below compares Saturn VUE insurance prices with and without physical damage coverage. The premium estimates are based on no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no other discounts are factored in.
When to drop full coverage
There isn’t a steadfast formula for dropping comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your Saturn VUE book value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would receive is $5,000 after paying your policy deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $500 a year to have full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some cases where dropping full coverage is not financially feasible. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should keep full coverage in place.
Take policy discounts and save on Saturn VUE insurance in New Orleans
Insurance can be pricey, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that you may not even know about. Some discounts will apply at the time of quoting, but a few must be manually applied before being credited. If you are not receiving all the discounts you qualify for, you could be getting lower rates.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory options such as air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
- Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
- Theft Deterrent System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10% off your New Orleans auto insurance quote.
- Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less in comparison to frequent claim filers.
- Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government may qualify for a discount when you quote New Orleans auto insurance with certain companies.
- Student Driver Training – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers successfully complete driver’s ed class in school or through a local driver safety program.
- First Accident Forgiveness – Not a discount per se, but some insurance companies will turn a blind eye to one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you have no claims before the accident.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your entire bill at once instead of paying each month you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Online Discount – Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy on the web.
Please keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
The diagram below shows the comparison of Saturn VUE insurance rates with and without discounts being applied to the rates. Data assumes a male driver, no claims or driving violations, Louisiana state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, multi-car, marriage, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-policy discounts applied.
For a list of insurance companies with discount rates in New Orleans, click here.
Learn How to Lower Your Insurance Rates
One of the most helpful ways to save on insurance is to to have a grasp of the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay, this allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
The following are a partial list of the pieces that factor into your rates.
Improve your credit rating and save – Having a bad credit score is a large factor in calculating your premium rate. So if your credit score is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your Saturn VUE by repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit scores.
Being married is a good thing – Your spouse helps lower the price compared to being single. Marriage means you’re more financially stable and insurance companies reward insureds because married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Do men or women drive better? – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean males are worse at driving than females. Males and females tend to get into auto accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species tend to have higher claims. They also receive more costly citations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are several times more likely to be in an accident and are penalized with high insurance rates.
The information below shows the comparison of Saturn VUE annual premium costs for male and female drivers. The premium estimates are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Careless drivers pay higher prices – Even one driving citation may cause rates to rise forty percent or more. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance as compared to those with violations. Drivers who have dangerous tickets such as reckless driving or DUI might be required by their state to file a SR-22 with their state’s licensing department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
The diagram below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault fender-benders can increase Saturn VUE yearly insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The data assumes a married female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Rental and towing coverage may not be needed – Insurance companies have many add-on coverages that can add up if you aren’t careful. Insurance for things like rental car reimbursement, accidental death, and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. They may sound like good ideas at first, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Reserve insurance claims for larger damages – If you file claims often, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies in Louisiana give cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. Your insurance policy is intended for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
Insurance agencies can help
A small number of people would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is not a bad decision Experienced insurance agents will help you protect your assets and give you someone to call. An additional benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find lower rates and still buy from a local agent. Putting coverage with local insurance agents is important particularly in New Orleans.
For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), your coverage information gets sent to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your business. There is no reason to visit any agencies since rate quotes are delivered immediately to you. If you wish to compare rates from a specific company, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
If you want to use a reliable agent, you need to know there are two different types of agencies and how they function. Agents are either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Either type can sell affordable auto insurance policies, but it’s worth mentioning the difference in the companies they write for because it can impact the type of agent you choose.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Agents of this type can quote rates with many companies and that allows them to write policies with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your premiums go up, your policy is moved internally and you don’t have to do anything.
When comparing rates, you will definitely want to get some free quotes from a few independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.
Below is a small list of independent agents in New Orleans who can help you get cheap rate quotes.
Pat Leboeuf Insurance
601 Seguin St – New Orleans, LA 70114 – (504) 361-4600 – View Map
Daul Insurance
94 Westbank Expressway Trail – Gretna, LA 70053 – (504) 362-0667 – View Map
Robert Sheard Insurance
1601 Gordon St – New Orleans, LA 70117 – (504) 947-3044 – View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agents
These type of agents can only write with one company like Farmers Insurance and State Farm. They generally cannot compare other company’s rates so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Exclusive insurance agents are usually well trained on the products they sell which can be an advantage.
Below is a list of exclusive agencies in New Orleans willing to provide price quote information.
State Farm: Luke Delouise
6262 Pontchartrain Blvd – New Orleans, LA 70124 – (504) 486-7525 – View Map
State Farm: Chris Nolan
Place St. Charles, 201 St Charles Ave #224 – New Orleans, LA 70170 – (504) 522-9560 – View Map
Ben Guillory – State Farm Insurance Agent
4111 Franklin Ave – New Orleans, LA 70122 – (504) 943-4055 – View Map
Selecting an insurance agent is decision based upon more than just a low price. You should also get answers to these questions.
- Can you get a list of referrals?
- How long have they been in business?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- Is there a local claims center in New Orleans?
Do the work, save more money
We just presented some good ideas how you can save on Saturn VUE insurance in New Orleans. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get car insurance rates for, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the best price on auto insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Regional companies can often provide lower car insurance rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.
Cheap Saturn VUE insurance in New Orleans can be found both online and from local agencies, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent agencies.
Even more information can be found in these articles:
- New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- How Much are New Orleans Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Corolla? (FAQ)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Uninsured Drivers in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for a Honda CR-V in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- How Much are New Orleans Auto Insurance Rates for Seniors? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap New Orleans Auto Insurance Quotes for 19 Year Olds? (FAQ)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Under 21 in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- What if I Can’t Find Coverage? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)