If you want to save the most money, the best way to find discount car insurance rates in Tampa is to do an annual price comparison from insurance carriers who provide car insurance in Florida. You can shop around by completing these steps.
Step 1: Gain an understanding of how auto insurance works and the things you can change to keep rates low. Many risk factors that drive up the price such as traffic tickets, fender benders, and a not-so-good credit rating can be rectified by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
Step 2: Compare rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from many different companies. Get quotes now
Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy to see if a cheaper price is available in Tampa. If you find a better price and decide to switch, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
Step 4: Provide notification to your current agent or company of your intention to cancel your current coverage. Submit a down payment along with a completed application for the new coverage. As soon as you can, put the proof of insurance paperwork in an easily accessible location.
The most important part of shopping around is to use the same level of coverage on every price quote and to quote with as many auto insurance providers as possible. This ensures a fair rate comparison and a complete rate analysis.
A recent auto insurance study revealed that the vast majority of consumers kept their coverage with the same auto insurance company for over three years, and just short of a majority have never compared rates with other companies. Drivers in Florida can cut their rates by as much as $1,126 a year, but they don’t want to spend time to shop their coverage around.
Tampa insurance discounts for a Honda HR-V
Car insurance is not cheap, but you may find discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about in order for you to get them.
- Discounts for Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low annual miles may allow you to get discounted premium rates on garaged vehicles.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Payment Discounts – By making one initial payment as opposed to paying monthly you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more on HR-V insurance in Tampa.
- Early Signing – A few companies give discounts for buying a new policy before your current expiration date. You may see this discount when you get Tampa auto insurance quotes online.
- One Accident Forgiven – Not necessarily a discount, but companies like Liberty Mutual, Allstate and State Farm permit an accident before they charge you more for coverage as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Insureds that choose to allow their insurance company to scrutinize driving habits by using a telematics device in their vehicle such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system could save a few bucks if their driving habits are good.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Factory options such as air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may qualify for discounts as much as 30%.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Owning a house in Tampa may earn you a small savings due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
A quick disclaimer, some of the credits will not apply to the whole policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, that’s just not realistic. Any amount of discount will bring down your policy premiums.
Larger auto insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.
- GEICO offers discounts including military active duty, defensive driver, anti-lock brakes, multi-policy, anti-theft, and five-year accident-free.
- Mercury Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, location of vehicle, multi-policy, annual mileage, good student, accident-free, and age of vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts for distant student, homeowner, early shopping, teen driver, and alternative fuel.
- Auto-Owners Insurance includes discounts for teen driver, multiple vehicles, paid in full, anti-theft, paperless, safe driver, and air bags.
- Liberty Mutual discounts include good student, newly retired, new vehicle discount, safety features, newly married, new move discount, and multi-car.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for anti-lock brakes, accident prevention training, teen safe driver, bundle discounts, safe driver, and multi-car.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for online quote discount, good student, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, and online signing.
- USAA has savings for new vehicle, family discount, good student, vehicle storage, safe driver, and defensive driver.
If you need inexpensive Tampa auto insurance quotes, ask all the companies how many discounts you can get. A few discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state. To find companies who offer free Honda HR-V insurance quotes in Florida, click this link.
It’s important to know that comparing all the rates in your area helps you find better pricing. Some regional insurers cannot provide online rate quotes, so you also need to get prices from those companies as well.
The car insurance companies shown below provide free quotes in Florida. If multiple companies are listed, we suggest you compare several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Lower Your Tampa Insurance Prices
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this enables you to make decisions that can help you get lower auto insurance prices. Many different elements are used in the calculation when you get a price on insurance. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving history, but other factors are not quite as obvious such as whether you are married or how safe your car is.
The factors shown below are just a few of the factors used by companies to determine your prices.
Low stress occupation equals lower premiums – Do you have a high-stress occupation? Occupations such as military generals, police officers, and stock brokers tend to have higher premium rates because of intense work requirements and lots of time spent away from family. On the flip side, careers such as scientists, historians and the unemployed generally pay rates lower than average.
Insurance is expensive for teenage drivers – Drivers with little experience are known to be more careless when driving with friends therefore auto insurance rates are much higher. Older people are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents, and get fewer tickets.
Filing policy claims can cost more – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Companies in Florida provide the lowest premiums to policyholders who are not frequent claim filers. Auto insurance is designed for the large, substantial claims.
Safety first – Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. Safer cars reduce injuries and fewer serious injuries translates directly to fewer claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
You may want advice from a local insurance agent
A small number of people prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is not a bad decision One of the great benefits of getting free rate quotes online is that drivers can save money and get the best rates but also keep your business local.
To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, your insurance data is transmitted to participating agents in Tampa who want to provide quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You won’t need to do any legwork since rate quotes are delivered to you instantly. It’s the lowest rates without having to waste a lot of time. If you need to quote rates from a specific company, you can always navigate to their website and give them your coverage information.
Deciding on an insurance company shouldn’t rely on just the quoted price. Here are some questions you should ask.
- What companies can they write with?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Will the quote change when the policy is issued?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Is the agent CPCU or CIC certified?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
When searching for a reputable insurance agent or broker, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that you can select. Agencies in Tampa are considered either exclusive or independent.
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agents
Exclusive insurance agents normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are State Farm, Allstate and AAA. Exclusive agents are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive insurance agents are highly trained on their company’s products which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Consumers often use the same agent primarily because of the prominence of the brand and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
The following is a list of exclusive agents in Tampa who can help you get comparison quotes.
- Allstate Insurance: Paul H. Phaneuf
3641 W Kennedy Blvd F – Tampa, FL 33609 – (813) 353-0303 – View Map - Shirin Khorsandian – State Farm Insurance Agent
2734 E Fowler Ave, Ste A – Tampa, FL 33612 – (813) 971-6060 – View Map - Mike Clamon – State Farm Insurance Agent
3816 S Dale Mabry Hwy – Tampa, FL 33611 – (813) 837-5421 – View Map
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
These agents are not employed by any specific company and that enables them to quote your coverage amongst many companies and get the cheapest rates. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move your policy to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparing rates, you definitely need to get some free quotes from independent agents to get the most accurate price comparison. They often place coverage with smaller mutual companies which may have better rates.
Shown below is a list of independent agencies in Tampa that are able to give price quotes.
- GreatFlorida Insurance – Ceci Wise
1719 W Fletcher Ave – Tampa, FL 33612 – (813) 849-0125 – View Map - Duarte Insurance Agency, Inc.
5512 N Armenia Ave # A – Tampa, FL 33603 – (813) 874-3222 – View Map - Hockman Insurance Agency, Inc.
3438 Colwell Ave – Tampa, FL 33614 – (813) 636-4000 – View Map
Once you have acceptable answers to any questions you may have and cheaper HR-V insurance quotes, you may have just found a car insurance agent that can properly service your auto insurance policy. But keep in mind consumers can cancel a policy whenever you wish so never assume that you are permanently stuck with any particular company for the full policy term.
Insuring your vehicle just makes sense
Even though Tampa HR-V insurance rates can get expensive, car insurance may not be optional for several reasons.
- Just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires a specific level of liability insurance coverage if you want to drive legally. In Florida these limits are 10/20/10 which means you must have $10,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your Honda has a lienholder, more than likely the lender will have a requirement that you have insurance to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Honda at a significantly higher premium and make you pay the higher price.
- Car insurance preserves both your Honda and your assets. It will also reimburse you for most medical and hospital costs that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay to defend you if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to restore your vehicle to like-new condition.
The benefits of insuring your car are without a doubt worth the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. According to a recent study, the average American driver overpays more than $865 each year so you should quote and compare rates each time the policy renews to ensure rates are inline.
Don’t give up on cheap rates
Insureds change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as being labeled a high risk driver, policy cancellation, not issuing a premium refund or delays in responding to claim requests. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new company is easier than you think.
We just covered some good ideas how you can find lower-cost Honda HR-V insurance in Tampa. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a lesser-known regional company.
A few companies may not have online rate quotes and these regional carriers only sell through local independent agencies. Budget-friendly car insurance in Tampa can be purchased both online and from local insurance agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture.
Additional car insurance information can be read below:
- Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for Ride Shares in Tampa? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Tampa Auto Insurance Rates for Teenagers? (FAQ)
- Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
- What does Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Cover? (Allstate)
- Electronic Stability Control FAQ (iihs.org)