Have you finally had enough of not being able to scrape enough together each month for insurance? You have the same problem as millions of other vehicle owners.
A study showed that about 70% of customers kept buying from the same company for well over three years, and practically 40% of insurance customers have never compared rate quotes at all. Chicago insurance shoppers could save almost 40% a year just by comparing rates, but they underestimate the large savings they would see if they switch to a new company.
You have so many car insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and even though it's nice to have multiple companies, having more insurers makes it harder to compare company pricing for Hummer H2 insurance in Chicago.
Quoting and comparing rates for the best insurance in Chicago is not as difficult as people think. In a nutshell, every driver who buys insurance will probably find lower prices. Nevertheless, Illinois drivers can benefit from knowing how insurance companies set your policy premium because rates fluctuate considerably.
What Determines Hummer H2 Insurance Costs?
Lots of factors are used when you get your auto insurance bill. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but others are less obvious like your vehicle usage or your financial responsibility. Smart consumers have a good feel for a few of the rating criteria that help calculate your car insurance rates. If you have some idea of what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that can earn you cheaper rates.
Long commutes cost more - Driving a lot of miles in a year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. A lot of insurance companies rate vehicles based on their usage. Autos left parked in the garage receive lower rates than those that get driven frequently. An improperly rated H2 is just wasting money. It's always a good idea to double check that your declarations sheet properly reflects the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Vehicles with better crash test results cost less to insure - Safe vehicles tend to have lower insurance rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer serious injuries means your insurance company pays less and cheaper rates on your policy.
No car insurance claims equals cheaper car insurance rates - Companies in Illinois generally give better rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. If you file a lot of claims you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of more catastrophic claims.
Does auto insurance cost less for women? - Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn't mean women are better drivers. They both have fender benders at a similar rate, but men get into accidents with more damage. Men also receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
It's important to know that comparing a wide range of rates will increase your chances of finding the best price. Not every company allows you to get price estimates online, so it's important to compare quotes from them as well.
The companies in the list below have been selected to offer price quotes in Illinois. If several companies are displayed, we suggest you compare several of them to get the best price comparison.
But they said I'd save $433 a year!
Companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO endlessly run television and radio advertisements. All the companies state the claim that you'll save big if you just switch your policy. How can each company give you a better price on Hummer H2 insurance in Chicago?
Most companies give the cheapest rates for the type of insured that will add to their bottom line. For instance, a profitable risk profile might have to be over age 30, has no prior claims, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. Anyone that fits those parameters will get a cheap rate quote in Chicago and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Insureds who fall outside those criteria will probably have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer buying from someone else. The trick is to say "people that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. This is how companies can truthfully state the savings.
Because of the profiling, you absolutely need to get Chicago car insurance quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.
Why you need to buy car insurance
Despite the potentially high cost of Hummer H2 insurance, buying car insurance is mandatory in Illinois but it also protects more than you think.
- Most states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require a specific minimum amount of liability if you drive a vehicle. In Illinois these limits are 20/40/15 which means you must have $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $40,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $15,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your vehicle has a lien holder, most lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you buy full coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totalled. If you let the policy lapse, the bank may buy a policy for your Hummer for a lot more money and require you to fork over for the much more expensive policy.
- Car insurance preserves both your car and your personal assets. It will also pay for many types of medical 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 anyone sues you for causing an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of having insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. On average, a vehicle owner in Chicago is overpaying over $850 per year so you should quote and compare rates each time the policy renews to save money.
Discount Chicago auto insurance rates
Companies don't list all discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the more hidden credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured - Buying a policy with multiple cars with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Discounts for Government Workers - Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.
- Discounts for Responsible Drivers - Drivers without accidents may save up to 50% more as compared to drivers with claims.
- Sign Early and Save - Some companies provide a discount for switching companies before your current expiration date. You may see this discount when you get Chicago car insurance quotes online.
- Student Discount for Driver Training - Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them participate in a local driver's education class if offered at their school.
- Air Bag Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings of more than 20%.
- Paperwork-free - A few companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy online.
- Student Discounts - Excelling in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
It's important to note that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, nobody gets a free ride.
Popular auto insurance companies and the discounts they provide are shown below.
- State Farm offers discounts including multiple policy, good student, good driver, Drive Safe & Save, and safe vehicle.
- Progressive offers discounts for homeowner, multi-policy, good student, online signing, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and continuous coverage.
- Progressive may have discounts that include homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online signing, online quote discount, and continuous coverage.
- MetLife policyholders can earn discounts including claim-free, good student, good driver, accident-free, and defensive driver.
- Farm Bureau may offer discounts for renewal discount, driver training, safe driver, multi-policy, good student, and multi-vehicle.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for five-year accident-free, emergency military deployment, multi-policy, good student, air bags, anti-theft, and daytime running lights.
- SAFECO has discounts for drive less, anti-theft, teen safety rewards, bundle discounts, safe driver, accident prevention training, and multi-car.
It's a good idea to ask every prospective company which discounts they offer. All car insurance discounts may not apply to policyholders in every state.
Local neighborhood Chicago car insurance agents
A small number of people prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that can be a smart move A good thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find cheap auto insurance quotes and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for small agencies is important particularly in Chicago.
Upon completion of this quick form, your coverage information is sent to agents in your area who will give competitive quotes for your business. You won't need to contact any agents since price quotes are sent to you directly. You can find the lowest rates and work with a local agent. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a specific insurance company, you just need to navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.
The different types of auto insurance agents
If you would like to find an insurance agent, it's important to understand the different types of agencies and how they work. Auto insurance agencies can be described as either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.
Independent Auto Insurance Agents
Independent agents are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies and find you the best rates. If they find a cheaper price, an independent agent can move your coverage without you having to go to a different agency. When shopping rates, it's recommended you get quotes from a few independent agents to maximize your price options.
Below are Chicago independent agents that may be able to give price quote information.
KSA Insurance Agency
7158 W Grand Ave - Chicago, IL 60707 - (773) 804-9000 - View Map
Serpe Insurance Agency
2538 N Lincoln Ave - Chicago, IL 60614 - (773) 871-0808 - View Map
American Auto Insurance
3201 N Harlem Ave #1 - Chicago, IL 60634 - (773) 286-3500 - View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agencies can only place business with one company such as State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. They usually cannot place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. Exclusive insurance agents are well trained on their company's products and that enables them to sell even at higher rates.
Shown below is a list of exclusive agencies in Chicago who can help you get price quote information.
Gus Andrade - State Farm Insurance Agent
4355 W 26th St - Chicago, IL 60623 - (773) 521-0216 - View Map
Jim Tom - State Farm Insurance Agent
4317 N Lincoln Ave - Chicago, IL 60618 - (773) 477-3300 - View Map
Glenda Tolentino-Moser - State Farm Insurance Agent
2015 W Montrose Ave - Chicago, IL 60618 - (773) 549-3300 - View Map
Finding the right auto insurance agent should depend on more than just a cheap price. The following questions are important to ask.
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Illinois?
- Will you work with the agent or an assistant?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
After receiving good responses and an affordable coverage quote, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that can adequately provide auto insurance. Just be aware that once you purchase a policy you can cancel your coverage at any time so don't think that you're stuck with any particular company for the full policy term.
In Summary
Affordable Hummer H2 insurance in Chicago is definitely available online and from local insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not provide price quotes online and usually these small, regional companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
We covered a lot of information how to reduce Hummer H2 insurance prices online in Chicago. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better chance you'll have of finding inexpensive Chicago car insurance quotes. You may even find the lowest priced insurance comes from some of the lesser-known companies. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
Other learning opportunities
- Teen Driving Statistics (iihs.org)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Toyota Highlander in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for Safe Drivers in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a Ford F-150 in Chicago? (FAQ)
- What is the Best Car Insurance in Chicago, IL? (FAQ)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Seniors in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Booster Seat Ratings (iihs.org)
- What is Covered by an Auto Insurance Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- What is Covered by GAP Insurance? (Allstate)
- Parking Tips to Reduce Door Dings (State Farm)