Cutting costs on Nissan Leaf insurance in Chicago can seem to be quite difficult for drivers who have little experience online comparison shopping. With such a large number of online companies, it can quickly become hard work to find the lowest price on Nissan Leaf insurance.
A recent auto insurance study discovered that 70% of consumers kept their policy with the same company for a minimum of four years, and virtually 40% of consumers have never taken the time to shop around. Many drivers in the United States can save as much as 46.5% each year by just shopping around, but they just don’t understand how easy it is to compare rates.
If you’re already insured, you will definitely be able to get lower rates using the ideas presented in this article. Comparison shopping for the cheapest car insurance coverage in Chicago is not that difficult. But Illinois drivers must know how big insurance companies determine what you pay and use it to find better rates.
To find the cheapest Nissan Leaf rate quotes, there are several ways of comparing rate quotes from many car insurance companies in Illinois. The fastest way to find the lowest Nissan Leaf rates is to get quotes online. It’s important to know that comparing all the rates in your area helps locate the best rates. Some companies don’t provide online price quotes, so it’s important to compare price estimates from them as well.
The companies in the list below are ready to provide quotes in Chicago, IL. If the list has multiple companies, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Auto insurance discounts help lower rates for Nissan Leaf insurance in Chicago
Companies don’t always publicize the entire discount list very clearly, so the below list has both the well known as well as some of the hidden ways to save on auto insurance. If you do not double check each discount you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
- Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and the ABS can save up to 10%.
- New Car Discount – Insuring a new Leaf can get you a discount because new model year vehicles are generally safer.
- Chicago Homeowners Pay Less – Just owning your own home may earn you a small savings due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Safe Driver Discounts – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% than less cautious drivers.
- Life Insurance – Auto insurance companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
- Save over 55 – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens are able to get better auto insurance rates.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles could qualify for substantially lower rates.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
- Policy Bundle Discount – If you can combine your auto and homeowners policy with the same insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
You can save money using discounts, but most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though the math looks like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you aren’t that lucky. But all discounts will help lower the cost of your policy.
A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts are shown below.
- American Family offers discounts for mySafetyValet, good student, good driver, TimeAway discount, air bags, and multi-vehicle.
- Nationwide has savings for good student, business or organization, Farm Bureau membership, easy pay, family plan, and anti-theft.
- MetLife may have discounts that include accident-free, defensive driver, good driver, claim-free, multi-policy, and good student.
- 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including teen driver, driver training, student driver, 55 and older, anti-lock brakes, and automatic seat belts.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for pay in full, homeowner, business and professional, youthful driver, and multi-car.
- Allstate offers discounts including new car, premier plus, premier discount, auto/life discount, and anti-theft.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each company which discounts they offer. Savings might not be available to policyholders in Chicago. To view companies that offer many of these discounts in Illinois, click this link.
Four Things That Determine Your Insurance Costs
Many factors are part of the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, although others are less apparent such as your credit history or your commute time.
How’s your driving record? – Good drivers pay less for auto insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Even one ticket can increase the cost of insurance to the point where it’s not affordable. Drivers who have received license-revoking citations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions might be required by their state to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
Males are more aggressive – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown that females tend to be a little less risky than males. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men are in fender benders in similar numbers, but males get into accidents with more damage. They also get higher numbers of serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents so it costs more to insure them.
Cars with good safety ratings means better prices – Vehicles that have high safety ratings tend to be cheaper to insure. Highly rated vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims which can result in lower premiums.
Insurance costs are higher for high performance vehicles – The performance of the car, truck or SUV you own makes a big difference in your rates. Since the Nissan Leaf is a electric compact, rates will be slightly higher as compared to the average rate in Chicago. Smaller low performance passenger cars generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Nissan Leaf historical loss data – Insurers use past loss statistics for each vehicle when they set coverage costs for each model. Vehicles that the data determines to have higher losses will have higher premium rates. The table below outlines the historical insurance loss data for Nissan Leaf vehicles.
For each insurance policy coverage type, the statistical loss for all vehicles, regardless of manufacturer or model, equals 100. Values that are below 100 indicate a favorable loss history, while values that are 100 or greater indicate frequent claims or an increased chance of larger losses than average.
Insurance Loss Ratings for Nissan Leaf Vehicles
| Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan Leaf Electric | 89 | 84 | 45 | 83 | 64 | 76 |
Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Buying insurance from Chicago insurance agents
A lot of people would prefer to have an agent’s advice and that can be a great decision The best thing about getting free rate quotes online is the fact that you can find better rates and still have a local agent. Supporting small agencies is especially important in Chicago.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your information is sent to insurance agents in Chicago that provide free Chicago car insurance quotes to get your business. You never need to leave your house since rate quotes are delivered to your email. Get lower rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you have a need to get a rate quote from a specific company, just visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.
When looking for a local Chicago insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they operate. Insurance agencies can be categorized as either independent (non-exclusive) or exclusive.
Independent Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
Agents in the independent channel are not employed by one company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies and find you the best rates. If your premiums go up, your agent can just switch to a different company and you don’t have to switch agencies.
If you need cheaper insurance rates, you will definitely want to get some free quotes from independent agents to have the best price comparison. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller regional carriers that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Featured below is a partial list of independent agencies in Chicago that may be able to give cheap rate quotes.
- American Auto Insurance
3201 N Harlem Ave #1 – Chicago, IL 60634 – (773) 286-3500 – View Map - Talro Insurance Agency
4900 W Belmont Ave – Chicago, IL 60641 – (773) 205-8255 – View Map - Active Insurance Agency – Auto Insurance
1034 N Ashland Ave – Chicago, IL 60622 – (773) 286-3473 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive agencies work for only one company and some examples include AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. They are unable to place coverage with different providers so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agents are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales and that enables them to sell even at higher rates. Drivers often use the same agent mainly due to the brand and strong financial ratings.
Listed below is a list of exclusive insurance agents in Chicago willing to provide rate quotes.
- Angela Roudez – State Farm Insurance Agent
1505 S State St – Chicago, IL 60605 – (312) 663-1820 – View Map - Peter Grande – State Farm Insurance Agent
1535 W Division St – Chicago, IL 60642 – (773) 270-4600 – View Map - Russ Spinelli – State Farm Insurance Agent
1525 E 53rd St #727 – Chicago, IL 60615 – (773) 955-3133 – View Map
Selecting a insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap quote. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Chicago?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- Is every driver in your family covered?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
Can switching companies really save?
Big name companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to make the promise that you’ll save big if you change your coverage to them. How is it possible that every company can make the same claim? It’s all in the words they use.
Many companies offer their best rates for a prospective insured that will add to their bottom line. A good example of this type of risk profile may be married and over the age of 30, has no claims, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. Any new insured who fits that profile receives the best premium rates in Chicago and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
Insureds who don’t qualify for these standards may be forced to pay higher rates and this can result in the customer buying from someone else. The ads say “people that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can make claims that they all have the best prices.
This emphasizes why you should compare price quotes frequently. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Persistence will pay off
People leave their current company for any number of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent, high rates after DUI convictions and even unfair underwriting practices. No matter why you want to switch, finding the right car insurance provider is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, you should never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at the best possible price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
We’ve covered many ideas to reduce Nissan Leaf insurance prices online in Chicago. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote Chicago car insurance, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Additional information is available below:
- Property Damage Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Teenage Females in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Low Credit Scores in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for 4×4 Vehicles in Chicago? (FAQ)
- Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)