Truthfully, the best way to find cheaper Toyota Corolla iM insurance in Kansas City is to compare prices at least once a year from companies in Missouri.
- Try to learn about how auto insurance works and the factors you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many things that cause high rates like at-fault accidents and a bad credit rating can be controlled by making lifestyle changes or driving safer.
- Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can give quotes from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agencies can provide price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage and see if you can save money. If you find a lower rate quote and buy the policy, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Notify your current company to cancel your current policy. Submit a signed application and payment to the new company. Once the application is submitted, put the proof of insurance certificate with your registration paperwork.
One key aspect of rate comparisons is that you use the same liability limits and deductibles on each quote request and and to get quotes from as many different insurance providers as possible. Doing this helps ensure a level playing field and plenty of rates choose from.
Everyone knows that car insurance companies want to keep you from comparing prices. Drivers who shop around annually will most likely switch auto insurance companies because there is a great chance of finding a policy with better rates. Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that people who routinely compared rates saved as much as $72 a month compared to those who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding discount rates on insurance in Kansas City is your intention, then understanding the best ways to find and compare cheaper coverage can help make the process easier and more efficient.
Getting quotes for the most affordable protection in Kansas City is not as hard as you may think. In a nutshell, every car owner who comparison shops for insurance should be able to lower their premiums. Although Missouri car owners can benefit from knowing how big insurance companies determine how much to charge because it varies considerably.
When comparison shopping, comparing all the rates in your area will enable you to find better pricing.
The auto insurance companies shown below are our best choices to provide quotes in Kansas City, MO. If multiple companies are listed, we recommend you get price quotes from several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Why you need car insurance
Despite the high cost, paying for car insurance is required in Missouri but also provides important benefits.
- Just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry specific minimum amounts of liability in order to drive the car legally. In Missouri these limits are 25/50/10 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your Toyota has a lienholder, it’s most likely the lender will require you to carry insurance to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Toyota for a lot more money and require you to fork over much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects both your Toyota and your assets. Insurance will also pay for medical expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of carrying adequate insurance more than cancel out the cost, especially if you ever need it. But the average driver in Missouri is wasting up to $850 per year so shop around once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are competitive.
Eight Things That Impact Your Insurance Prices
Lots of factors are used in the calculation when premium rates are determined. Most are fairly basic such as your driving history, although others are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.
The itemized list below are just a few of the factors insurance companies consider when setting prices.
Incidental coverages that aren’t used – Insurance companies have many extra add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your insurance policy. Things like personal injury protection, accidental death, and extra life insurance coverage could be just wasting money. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so get rid of them and save.
Gaps in coverage mean higher rates – Having a gap between insurance policy dates is a fast way to increase your insurance rates. Not only will you pay higher rates, getting caught without coverage may earn you fines and jail time. Then you may be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Missouri DMV.
Lower rates come with age – More experienced drivers are more responsible, cause fewer claims and accidents, and tend to be get fewer driving tickets. Inexperience drivers tend to be easily distracted when driving and because of this, their insurance rates are much higher.
Traffic violations hurt – Your driving citation history influences premium rates substantially. Even one speeding ticket can increase the cost of insurance twenty percent or more. Good drivers have lower premiums as compared to careless drivers. Drivers who have gotten dangerous tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions might be required by their state to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state’s licensing department in order to prevent a license revocation.
Raise physical damage deductibles and save – Physical damage protection, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, covers your vehicle from damage. A few examples of covered claims are a dented fender, collision with an animal, and damage from a fallen tree branch. The deductibles you choose represent how much money you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The more damage repair cost you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the better rate you will receive.
Insure your auto and home with one company – Most insurance companies will give a discount to people who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to get quotes from other companies to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Your vocation is a factor – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Occupational choices like fire fighters, air traffic controllers, and medical professionals generally pay higher average rates because of intense work situations and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, careers such as actors, students and the unemployed have the lowest average rates.
Pay lower premiums if you’re married – Being married may save some money on insurance. Having a spouse usually means you are more mature than a single person and it’s statistically proven that married drivers tend to have fewer serious accidents.
Cheaper rates by applying discounts
Some providers do not advertise all possible discounts very well, so we break down a few of the more well known and also the lesser-known ways to save on insurance.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars and trucks with ABS braking systems or traction control can reduce accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Early Switch Discount – Some larger companies give discounts for buying a new policy before your current Corolla iM insurance policy expires. It could save around 10% when you buy Kansas City auto insurance online.
- Multiple Vehicles – Drivers who insure all your vehicles on one policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
- Active Service Discounts – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to buckle their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Buy New and Save – Putting insurance coverage on a new Corolla iM can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
- No Claim Discounts – Kansas City drivers who stay claim-free have much lower rates in comparison to accident-prone drivers.
- Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy digitally online.
- Membership in Organizations – Being a member of a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates on insurance.
- Driver Safety – Taking a course in defensive driving may get you a small discount and make you a better driver.
As a sidenote, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
The best insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are included below.
- GEICO may include discounts for air bags, driver training, daytime running lights, multi-policy, and anti-theft.
- MetLife offers discounts for multi-policy, accident-free, good student, defensive driver, and claim-free.
- State Farm may offer discounts for Steer Clear safe driver discount, anti-theft, multiple policy, defensive driving training, and good driver.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, online signing, and good student.
- Mercury Insurance offers premium reductions for professional/association, type of vehicle, annual mileage, ease of repair, age of vehicle, and good driver.
- 21st Century has savings for good student, teen driver, anti-lock brakes, early bird, defensive driver, homeowners, and air bags.
- Allstate includes discounts for anti-theft, anti-lock brakes, good payer, EZ pay plan discount, and new car.
Before buying, ask every insurance company which discounts they offer. Some credits may not apply to policyholders in your area. To see a list of insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above in Missouri, click here to view.
Local Kansas City insurance agencies
Many drivers just prefer to talk to an insurance agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of comparing rate quotes online is you may find better rates but also keep your business local. And supporting local insurance agents is especially important in Kansas City.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), the quote information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your business. You won’t need to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent to you instantly. You can most likely find cheaper rates and work with a local agent. If you have a need to compare rates from a specific insurance company, you can always search and find their rate quote page and submit a quote form there.
Choose the right car insurance agent
If you are searching for a reliable agent, it helps to know the two different types of agencies and how they function. Insurance agencies in Kansas City are categorized either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Independent Car Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
These type of agents are not restricted to one company so they can quote policies with many different companies and find you cheaper rates. If your premiums go up, an independent agent can move your coverage and the insured can keep the same agent. If you are comparing rate quotes, you need to check rates from several independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Most can insure with mutual insurance companies that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Featured below are Kansas City independent agencies that may be able to give you cheap rate quotes.
- Francisco Banuelos Insurance
536 Benton Blvd – Kansas City, MO 64124 – (816) 920-5400 – View Map - Chris Jones Insurance Agency
435 Nichols Rd #200 Kansas City, MO 64112 – Kansas City, MO 64112 – (816) 479-0212 – View Map - Safeway Insurance Agency
3600 Broadway Suite 110 – Kansas City, MO 64111 – (816) 931-1222 – View Map
Exclusive Car Insurance Agents
Exclusive agents write business for a single company and some examples include State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. They usually cannot compare other company’s rates so they really need to provide good service. Exclusive insurance agents are usually well trained on what they offer which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Some insured continue to buy from the same agent for years primarily because of the brand legacy rather than having low rates.
The following is a list of exclusive agents in Kansas City willing to provide price quote information.
- Farmers Insurance – Tim Presko
7817 N Oak Trafficway – Kansas City, MO 64118 – (816) 436-6000 – View Map - Etta McKenzie – State Farm Insurance Agent
11818 Blue Ridge Blvd – Kansas City, MO 64134 – (816) 861-8600 – View Map - Jamie Bilton – State Farm Insurance Agent
10901 Hickman Mills Dr Ste D – Kansas City, MO 64137 – (816) 763-5444 – View Map
Finding the right car insurance agent requires more thought than just a low price. Get answers to these questions too.
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Which family members are covered?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- Will one accident increase rates?
Be persistent to save money
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
We just presented many ideas to get a better price on Toyota Corolla iM insurance in Kansas City. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of getting inexpensive Kansas City auto insurance quotes. Consumers could even find that the lowest prices are with a smaller regional carrier.
Lower-priced insurance in Kansas City can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood Kansas City agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. Some companies may not have internet price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agencies.
Other resources
- Older Driver Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Kansas City Car Insurance Quotes for Police Officers? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes for 19 Year Olds in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for Hybrid Vehicles in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for Electric Cars in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)