How to find the most affordable car insurance in North Carolina
If you’re like many North Carolinians, you’re looking for ways to save money wherever possible. Because, let’s face it, times are tight for a lot of folks in our state.
So, in an effort to hold onto more of your paycheck, you think through your list of monthly expenses, and your car insurance rate comes to mind.
And you start wondering if you’re paying too much for coverage that you don’t need.
Or if you could be getting a better rate for the coverage you actually do need.
You know there must be something better available on the insurance marketplace, something more affordable. Because what you’re currently paying just seems like too much.
Before you know it, you find yourself looking for new car insurance. And to get it, you know that you’re going to have to go through someone else for your insurance. Specifically, you need a responsive, knowledgeable expert who can offer you very cheap car insurance, no deposit necessary.
The only problem is how to find such an insurance expert. After all, you don’t want to be stuck with an insurance agent who can’t get you a more affordable rate. And finding car insurance without an expert’s help seems like too daunting of a task.
The good news is, there is a fairly straightforward solution to finding more affordable NC car insurance. This blog post will reveal what that is. But first, here are some misconceptions to be aware of when you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina.
Car Insurance Misconceptions
At MazProtects, we’ve heard our share of misconceptions that people have when it comes to finding the cheapest rate possible on their NC car insurance. Here are a few commonly held misconceptions, along with their corresponding truths.
Misconception: “Cheapest” is another way of saying, “lowest coverage”
Truth: You can get a great rate while still being adequately covered
It’s understandable if you confuse “cheap insurance” with “low-coverage insurance,” but the two aren’t the same.
For instance, we have helped numerous North Carolinians feel great about both the rate they’re getting and the coverage their car insurance provides.
Misconception: Insurance agents and insurance brokers are the same
Truth: They aren’t the same
Allow us to break down why this is.
Typically, when people think of a car insurance agent, they’re really thinking of a captive agent. These are the agents that work for most of the big insurance companies you commonly see advertised.
Captive agents can only sell car insurance from one company (i.e., the insurance carrier). This means they are limited to offering only the plans and rates that the insurance carrier for whom they work provides.
Insurance brokers, however, can sell car insurance from a host of insurance carriers. This means they are not nearly as limited as captive agents when it comes to the car insurance plans and rates that they can offer you. This gives them more freedom to help you find quality car insurance at a more affordable rate.
Misconception: The only way to get a great rate is to go with the most well-known insurance agency
Truth: Going with a well-known insurance agency doesn’t mean you’re going to get the best rate
The big, well-known insurance agencies tend to be captive insurance companies.
These companies perpetuate the misconception that they, and they alone, can provide you the best rate. And many people believe them. Because, these companies often spend massive amounts on marketing campaigns that set them up as the cheapest car insurance option.
But in reality, since they are captive insurance companies, they can only offer rates and plans from one carrier–their own.
They can’t present you with the same amount of insurance options that brokers can. Because insurance brokers have access to more carriers, they are often able to present a less expensive insurance plan than captive agents.
And, as you may have guessed, these insurance brokers are often not as well-known. Still, that doesn’t mean they can’t provide you a great rate. You just have to know which insurance broker to call (hint: the number is 919-443-3300, but we’ll get into that again later in this post).
The solution to finding the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina.
The problem with how to find the most affordable car insurance in NC has a simple solution: Don’t go with a captive agent. Instead, go with an independent insurance broker. This will give you the greatest chance of finding the most affordable car insurance in NC.
Is it really that simple? Does the solution for affordable car insurance lie primarily in going with an independent insurance broker as opposed to a captive agent?
Yes, and yes.
But what if you’re a parent of a 16-year-old who is looking for the cheapest car insurance in NC for new drivers? The solution is the same: Work with an independent insurance broker.
Is the solution still the same if you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina for seniors? Yes.
Here are some reasons why the solution remains the same in each of these cases…
Brokers have more insurance carrier options
As an independent broker, we have access to many local and national car insurance carriers. More options mean you have a higher likelihood of finding car insurance that adequately covers you at a rate you can afford. If you work with a captive agent, you won’t know the options available to you, since they work with only one carrier.
Brokers will shop around for you
Before we can help you find a more affordable car insurance plan, we need to collect your car insurance profile information. Insurance carriers use the information in this profile to evaluate the risk involved with insuring you and your vehicle. It includes information such as your age, location, past accidents, credit history, and more. If you’ve ever been insured, you have this type of profile. And if so, we can get your profile from your previous insurance company.
Once we have your profile, we’ll shop it around to different car insurance carriers.
It’s important to have a broker who can go into the insurance marketplace with your specific insurance profile and shop it around without charging you for doing so. While we can’t say that all independent brokers will do this without a fee, you should know that we won’t charge you for this.
And since we’ll be doing the insurance carrier shopping for you, you won’t need to do it on your own.
Brokers help you avoid common problems
There are two common problems you can run into if you go with a captive agent or shop for an insurance policy on your own:
You end up with coverage you don’t need at a price you can’t afford.
You end up with an affordable car insurance rate without the proper coverage.
To prevent these outcomes from happening, we can help you determine how much insurance coverage you need. This in turn allows us to:
Help you find a plan that meets your budget and isn’t charging you for unnecessary coverage
Help you find a plan that provides adequate coverage at an affordable price
By taking the time to learn about your specific car insurance situation, our brokers serve as the bridge between affordability and proper coverage.
Brokers can help you maintain affordable rates
Our system is continually scanning your policy to make sure you keep getting a great rate.
That means that once we find an affordable plan for you, if your insurance rates go up, we can find another carrier that lets you keep the same rates. If rates go up with a captive agent, then you’re stuck.
One of our clients, James, experienced the benefits of this first-hand. Here’s what he wrote: “All I have to say is thank you. Times are getting tight, and I got a random call that I did not think I was going to get. It was Shannon [from MazProtects] letting me know my rates were going up. She did a re-shop and saved me money. Thank you and keep up the great work.”
Brokers are (typically) local
While not all brokers are necessarily located in your state, ours are. And since we all live in NC, we can help you get a better rate on your North Carolina car insurance.
Here are some reasons why:
We can quickly respond to any new NC legislation or safety regulations that might affect your insurance rates. And if your rates go up as a result of these changes, we can rapidly pivot to searching for something more affordable for you.
We understand the risks of driving in different areas of NC. By having a familiarity with local crime statistics, environmental factors, and accident rates, our brokers are able to give a more accurate assessment of the level of risk that comes with insuring you and your vehicle. This helps us find potentially lower premiums for you.
We know local insurers. Over the years, we’ve established relationships with insurers throughout North Carolina. This helps us negotiate better rates for you, and it means we may have access to any lesser-known local or regional insurance products.
We’re the first to know about special discounts and offers. At times, local insurance companies will offer cost-saving discounts and offers. Since we have relationships with these local insurers, we sometimes find out about these before national insurance agencies.
In short, we know the NC car insurance market, and we are familiar with the NC region where you live. And since we know the local market demand, we can often help you get a better quote than national insurance agencies.
Other benefits of independent insurance brokers (besides more affordable rates)
Affordability is a tangible way to understand the benefits of brokers. But our brokers aren’t just useful in terms of how much money you can save. There are also intangible benefits you can experience when you work with us.
More time
Like we said earlier, our brokers will shop around for you, so you don’t have to. The amount of research and expertise necessary to find car insurance that is both affordable and encompassing is staggering. We’re talking about you potentially spending hours and hours of precious time on a task that may very well result in you being stuck with insurance you can’t afford.
Less stress
We get it: It can be really stressful when you need a car insurance plan that works with your budget and your life. After all, you don’t want to end up with mediocre or unaffordable car insurance. This could happen if you try to shop around for insurance on your own or you go with the limited options of a captive agent. We’ll use our expertise and our insurance marketplace know-how to find the cheapest car insurance possible while also ensuring you have the coverage you need.
Another way we can help reduce your stress is by getting back to you quickly. For instance, if you need an auto quote, we can typically get back to you within four hours. This is unlike a lot of captive insurance companies that can often take two or three days to get you an auto quote.
More knowledge
Have a question about your car insurance rate or plan? We’ll answer any questions you may have in a prompt manner. We want you to feel confident in the plan you’ve selected, so if you don’t understand a clause in the fine print or a specific insurance term, let us know and we’ll happily provide an explanation.
More personalization
Oftentimes with large, captive insurance companies, the folks you talk to on the phone are in a national or off-shore call center. Since we live and work in NC, you get to speak to the same people every time you call us, adding a personalized touch to your car insurance process.
Wrapping up
In summary, the solution to getting the cheapest car insurance in NC involves choosing an independent insurance broker as opposed to a captive agent. As an independent broker based in NC, we can provide you with insurance options from a variety of carriers, help ensure your rates remain affordable, and let you know of any local changes or offers that can help you save even more.
If you need help looking for the best car insurance coverage with the best rates, call us and see how easy the process is with our MazProtects team: 919-443-3300.