Has it been a year or more since you last compared quotes for lower-priced insurance rates in New Orleans, LA? New Orleans buyers have lots of choices when searching for the lowest priced Chevy TrailBlazer insurance. They can either waste time contacting agents to compare prices or save time using the internet to get rate quotes.
There are more efficient ways to shop for insurance so we’re going to tell you the quickest way to compare rates for a Chevy and locate the best price possible from both online companies and New Orleans agents.
Compare New Orleans Chevy TrailBlazer insurance quotes online
Finding a lower price on Chevy TrailBlazer insurance can be relatively painless. Consumers just need to spend a little time getting comparison quotes provided by online insurance companies.
The companies shown below offer comparison quotes in New Orleans, LA. If you wish to find cheap car insurance in New Orleans, LA, we recommend you visit as many as you can to find the most competitive auto insurance rates.
Insurance protects more than just your car
Despite the high insurance cost for a Chevy TrailBlazer in New Orleans, insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.
- Almost all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means you are required to buy a specific level of liability 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 bought your Chevy with a loan, most lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you have full coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Chevy for a much higher rate and force you to pay much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance preserves your Chevy TrailBlazer and your assets. Insurance will pay for most medical and hospital costs for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability insurance also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you cause an accident and are sued. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of carrying adequate insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. On average, a vehicle owner in New Orleans is overpaying over $850 per year so it’s recommended you shop around each time the policy renews to ensure rates are inline.
Take advantage of these five discounts
Some providers don’t necessarily list every discount available very well, so the next list breaks down a few of the more well known and the more hidden credits available to you.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your entire bill at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Senior Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for lower premium rates.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – Not necessarily a discount, but some insurance companies may permit one accident without the usual rate increase with the catch being you have to be claim-free for a specific time period.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents can pay as much as 50% less compared to accident prone drivers.
It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you aren’t that lucky.
The best auto insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:
- State Farm policyholders can earn discounts including Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, anti-theft, multiple autos, and safe vehicle.
- American Family discounts include mySafetyValet, TimeAway discount, defensive driver, good driver, multi-vehicle, early bird, and air bags.
- AAA offers discounts including anti-theft, AAA membership discount, multi-policy, good driver, good student, education and occupation, and pay-in-full.
- GEICO may include discounts for anti-theft, five-year accident-free, air bags, emergency military deployment, and good student.
- Mercury Insurance offers premium reductions for professional/association, low natural disaster claims, anti-theft, annual mileage, and multi-policy.
- Farmers Insurance includes discounts for teen driver, alternative fuel, distant student, business and professional, switch companies, and pay in full.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, homeowner, online quote discount, online signing, good student, and continuous coverage.
When getting free New Orleans car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each insurance company how you can save money. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in every state. If you would like to choose from a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in New Orleans, follow this link.
When to have guidance from an insurance agent
Some consumers just want to get advice from a local agent and doing that can be a smart decision Insurance agents can help determine the best coverages and help submit paperwork. The best thing about comparing rates online is you can get cheap insurance quotes but also keep your business local. Supporting small agencies is definitely important in New Orleans.
Once you complete this short form, your coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents in New Orleans who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. You never need to visit any agencies because prices are sent to you. If you have a need to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you just need to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Multiple types of car insurance agents in New Orleans
When looking for a good New Orleans insurance agent, it’s important to understand the different agency structures and how they are distinctly different. Agents in New Orleans are either exclusive agents or independent agents. Either can insure your vehicles, but it is a good idea to know the difference between them since it can affect the kind of agent you use.
Independent Agents
Independent insurance agents are not required to write business for one company so they can write business with lots of companies and get you the best rates possible. If they quote lower rates, your policy is moved internally and you don’t have to do anything.
If you are comparing rate quotes, we recommend you include multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection. Most also write with companies that do not advertise much which can save you money.
Listed below is a partial list of independent agencies in New Orleans that can give you rate quotes.
- Daul Insurance
94 Westbank Expressway Trail – Gretna, LA 70053 – (504) 362-0667 – View Map - Mid-City Auto Title and Insurance
3328 Bienville St # A – New Orleans, LA 70119 – (504) 827-1845 – View Map - Pat Leboeuf Insurance
601 Seguin St – New Orleans, LA 70114 – (504) 361-4600 – View Map
Exclusive Agents
Exclusive agents generally can only insure with one company such as Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies so you might not find the best rates. These agents receive extensive training on their company’s products which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Some people will only purchase coverage from exclusives mostly because of the brand name and solid financial strength.
Listed below is a list of exclusive insurance agents in New Orleans who can help you get rate quotes.
- Andy Bowden – State Farm Insurance Agent
6325 Elysian Fields Ave a – New Orleans, LA 70122 – (504) 288-2219 – View Map - Allstate Insurance: Daniel Occhi
4006 Canal St – New Orleans, LA 70119 – (504) 517-9080 – View Map - State Farm – Mia DeLouise
5638 Jefferson Hwy – New Orleans, LA 70123 – (504) 739-7979 – View Map
Choosing an insurance agent requires you to look at more than just a cheap quote. Any good agent in New Orleans should know the answers to these questions.
- Does the agent help file claims?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- How many years have they been established?
- What insurance companies do they work with in New Orleans?
Insurance coverage basics
Understanding the coverages of your policy can help you determine the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive protection
This pays to fix your vehicle from 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 damage from getting keyed, hitting a bird and falling objects. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.
Auto liability insurance
Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU from legal claims by others. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 15/30/25 that means you have a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability insurance covers things like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Louisiana requires drivers to carry at least 15/30/25 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
The next chart shows why buying the state minimum limits may not provide adequate coverage.
Collision coverage protection
Collision coverage pays for damage to your TrailBlazer resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things like colliding with a tree, crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail, rolling your car and colliding with another moving vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible on your TrailBlazer to save money on collision insurance.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (15/30/25 in Louisiana), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Usually these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Medical expense coverage
Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses for things like doctor visits, hospital visits and surgery. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
In the end, you can save money
As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, drivers have reduced collision coverage only to find out that it was a big mistake. Your goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best possible price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
You just learned some good ideas how to save on Chevy TrailBlazer insurance in New Orleans. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even be surprised to find that the best prices are with the smaller companies.
Low-cost Chevy TrailBlazer insurance in New Orleans can be sourced both online and from local insurance agents, so you need to quote New Orleans car insurance with both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies don’t offer price quotes online and many times these smaller providers only sell through independent insurance agencies.
How to find more affordable Chevy TrailBlazer insurance in New Orleans
It takes a little time, but the best way to find the cheapest price for Chevy TrailBlazer insurance in New Orleans is to start doing a yearly price comparison from insurance carriers who provide auto insurance in Louisiana.
- Step 1: Spend some time learning about how insurance works and the modifications you can make to lower rates. Many risk factors that increase rates like getting speeding tickets and poor credit can be controlled by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
- Step 2: Get rate quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide rate quotes from multiple companies.
- Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find a lower rate quote and switch companies, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
- Step 4: Provide written notification to your current company of your intention to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit any necessary down payment along with the completed application for your new policy. Once the application is submitted, put the certificate verifying proof of insurance in your glove compartment.
The most important part of this process is to use the same deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to compare all possible companies. Doing this helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and a thorough selection of prices.
More tips and info about insurance can be found in the articles below:
- Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)
- How Much is New Orleans Auto Insurance for a Hyundai Santa Fe? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest New Orleans Auto Insurance Quotes for Business Use? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap New Orleans Auto Insurance for High Mileage Drivers? (FAQ)
- Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)
- Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Cellphones, Texting and Driving (iihs.org)