Expensive car insurance in Chicago can bleed your personal savings and possibly require postponing other expenditures. Comparing rate quotes is recommended to make ends meet.
Unbelievably, the vast majority of car insurance customers have purchased from the same company for at least four years, and 38% of drivers have never compared rates from other carriers. Many drivers in Illinois could save an average of approximately $586 each year by just shopping around, but they mistakenly think it’s difficult to compare rates and save money. Multiple auto insurance companies compete to insure your vehicles, so it’s not easy to compare every company and uncover the absolute best rate on Volkswagen Atlas insurance in Chicago.
The following companies are ready to provide free rate quotes in Illinois. If multiple companies are listed, it’s highly recommended you visit two to three different companies to get a more complete price comparison.
Discounts for cheaper car insurance rates
Companies that sell car insurance do not list every discount available very clearly, so the following is a list of some of the more common as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving when you buy Chicago auto insurance online. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you could be paying more than you need to.
- Discount for New Cars – Putting car insurance coverage on a new Atlas can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles keep occupants safer.
- Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you can avoid the installment charge.
- Senior Citizen Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you could receive better car insurance rates.
- Federal Government Employee – Federal government employees may reduce rates when you quote Chicago auto insurance with some car insurance companies.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low annual miles can earn lower premium rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Discounts for Responsible Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less than less cautious drivers.
A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
The best car insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are:
- 21st Century includes discounts for air bags, homeowners, 55 and older, defensive driver, teen driver, theft prevention, and good student.
- State Farm has discounts for accident-free, student away at school, defensive driving training, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, driver’s education, and passive restraint.
- AAA offers discounts for education and occupation, pay-in-full, multi-car, anti-theft, good student, and AAA membership discount.
- Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for new vehicle discount, new graduate, good student, exclusive group savings, preferred payment discount, and new move discount.
- Progressive has savings for online signing, homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, and online quote discount.
When quoting, ask each company how you can save money. Discounts might not be available to policyholders in every state.
Insurance Price Influencing Factors
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. If you know what determines base rates, this enables you to make decisions that can earn you much lower annual insurance costs. Multiple criteria are part of the equation when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable like your driving record, although others are not as apparent like your continuous coverage or how financially stable you are.
Liability preserves assets – Liability coverage provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court to attempt to prove you were not liable. Liability insurance is quite affordable when compared to the cost of physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
See if your company offers a multi-policy discount – Many insurers will give discounts to clients who carry more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. The amount of the discounts can be ten percent or more. Even if you’re getting this discount drivers will still want to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still save even more than the discount even if you insure with multiple companies
Costs go up with performance – The performance level of the car you need insurance for makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. Because the Volkswagen Atlas falls in the compact SUV class, insuring your vehicle will cost the same to a little lower compared to average rates in Chicago. Economy passenger cars generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.
Cheaper rates with high physical damage deductibles – Insurance for physical damage to your car, aka comp and collision, helps pay for damage to your vehicle. Some coverage claims are a broken windshield, flood damage, and damage from a fallen tree branch. Physical damage deductibles define how much you are required to spend before a claim is paid by your company. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
Exclusive and independent insurance agencies
Some people just prefer to buy from a local agent and that is just fine! Most agents can make sure you are properly covered and help file insurance claims. A nice benefit of price shopping on the web is that drivers can save money and get the lowest rates and also buy local.
After completing this quick form, the quote information is sent to companies in Chicago who can give free rate quotes for your coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to leave your house since price quotes are sent immediately to you. In the event you want to compare prices from one company in particular, you can always visit that company’s website and complete a quote there.
Picking the best insurer is decision based upon more than just the premium amount. Here are some questions you might want to ask.
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Illinois?
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- What company do they have the most business with?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Does the company have a solid financial rating?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
Chicago car insurance agents are either independent or exclusive
If you would like to find a reputable insurance agent or broker, you should know the types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agents are either independent agents or exclusive agents. Either type can sell affordable insurance policies, but it is important to understand the subtle differences because it can factor into the kind of agent you use.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that choose to be exclusive have only one company to place business with and some examples include Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents cannot compare rates from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agents receive extensive training on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Below is a list of exclusive agents in Chicago who can help you get price quote information.
Mike Matkowskyj – State Farm Insurance Agent
2452 W Chicago Ave – Chicago, IL 60622 – (773) 486-4444 – View Map
Angela Roudez – State Farm Insurance Agent
1505 S State St – Chicago, IL 60605 – (312) 663-1820 – View Map
Mark Yun – State Farm Insurance Agent
223 W Cermak Rd, Fl-2 – Chicago, IL 60616 – (312) 225-8311 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents of this type do not have single company limitations and that allows them to write policies with a variety of different insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. If they find a lower price, an independent agent can move your coverage and that require little work on your part. If you need cheaper insurance rates, we recommend you contact several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.
Below are Chicago independent agencies that are able to give price quote information.
Eagle Insurance Agency
3517 N Spaulding Ave – Chicago, IL 60618 – (773) 463-7576 – View Map
Northwest Insurance Network
330 S Wells St #1600 – Chicago, IL 60606 – (312) 427-1777 – View Map
Zeiler Insurance Services, Inc.
3660 E 106th St – Chicago, IL 60617 – (773) 375-3600 – View Map
Save $495 a year! What?
Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that claim the lowest premium rates from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. All the ads make the point that drivers will save a bundle just by moving to them.
That’s great but how can every company charge less that you’re paying now? Here is the trick they use.
All companies give the best rates for the type of customer that will be a good risk. For instance, this type of risk profile might be described as over the age of 35, has few claims, and insures a new vehicle. Someone that hits that “sweet spot” may get the lowest premium rates in Chicago and will also save a lot on Chicago Volkswagen Atlas insurance if they switch.
Drivers who may not quite match this stringent profile will be quoted higher premium rates which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The trick is to say “customers that switch” not “everyone who quotes” will save that much if they switch. That’s why companies can make claims that they all have the best prices. This really drives home the point why you should compare rate quotes every year. It’s just not possible to know which company will have the best premium rates for your profile.
Persistence pays off
In this article, we presented a lot of ways to save on Volkswagen Atlas insurance in Chicago. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost Chicago auto insurance quotes. Drivers may even discover the lowest priced insurance comes from the least-expected company. These companies may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like Progressive and GEICO.
As you quote Chicago auto insurance, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. Too many times, an accident victim reduced full coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage at the best possible price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Lower-priced insurance in Chicago is definitely available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Chicago agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies do not offer rates over the internet and many times these small insurance companies provide coverage only through independent agents.
More resources
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for College Students in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for a Hyundai Elantra in Chicago? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Chevrolet Malibu in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Single Moms in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Chicago Auto Insurance for a Nissan Altima? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for Homeowners in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)
- Electronic Stability Control FAQ (iihs.org)
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)