When pricing car insurance in Ottumwa, Iowa, picking a good Iowa car insurance agent is more difficult than just randomly choosing from the yellow pages. It’s likely you’re not only searching for a good professional insurance agent, but you also want to find the best rates possible.
With insurance companies like Allstate, Farmers, State Farm and many independent agents having offices in Ottumwa, consumers have a hard time knowing which one will have the best rates, service and coverage. To help decide, it’s easy to use online quoting in order to build a list of agencies and price estimates.
Ottumwa agents and online quotes
Good agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. The best thing about getting online price quotes is you may find the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. And supporting local agencies is definitely important in Ottumwa.
After completing this simple form, the quote information is emailed to companies in Ottumwa who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to drive around as quotes are delivered to your email. How’s that for easy!
The difference between Ottumwa car insurance agents
When looking for a good insurance agency, you must know there are a couple types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in Ottumwa are either captive or independent. Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them because it can impact the type of agent you choose
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, an independent agent can move your coverage and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When shopping rates, it’s a good idea to get quotes from at least one independent agent to have the most options to choose from.
Below is a short list of independent agencies in Ottumwa willing to provide competitive price quotes.
Linda Lyon Agency – 101 S Market St # 207 – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-8004
Shaw Federal Insurance – 227 W 4th St # 1a – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-9786
Oscar Axthelm Agency – 207 E Maple Ave – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-6138
Kevin Smith Insurance – 405 S Madison Ave – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 684-6506
Captive Agents
Captive agencies can only write with one company like State Farm or Allstate. These agents are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agents are very knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents.
Listed below are captive insurance agents in Ottumwa that are able to give price quote information.
Shelter Insurance – 611 Church St – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-0832
Farm Bureau Insurance – 639 Pennsylvania Ave – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-8714
Allstate Insurance – 425 W 2nd St – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-4519
Farmers Insurance Group – 112 N Court St – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 684-6264
American Family Insurance – 2818 N Court St # 2 – Ottumwa, IA 52501 – (641) 682-3979
To view a complete directory of captive agents in Ottumwa, please view this page.
Choosing a car insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the price. Some important questions to ask are:
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- How long has their agency been open in Ottumwa?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
Once you have good answers for all questions you ask as well as a affordable price, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that is a good match to provide car insurance coverage.
Do online insurance companies have lower rates?
Licensed agents are important, but Iowa car insurance can also be bought from companies direct over the internet. Certain companies, such as Farmers Insurance and State Farm, who employ agents also permit you to buy direct online, so this should also be taken into consideration if you prefer not to work with an agent.
If you’re anxious about not having professional advice, that is normal but is not a big issue. Online companies that require consumers to choose their own coverages have toll-free phone numbers and other options for getting advice on proper coverages.
Will auto insurance cost less online? The answer to that question is complicated since there may be dozens of rate factors which can raise or lower premium rates. Common sense would say that buying directly from the company saves money by not requiring a commission. But in reality, the cost of constant advertising is expensive so rates may not be all that different from traditional agents.
The best way to determine if car insurance prices are lower online or from agents is to get price quotes for both. It’s possible to get different rates for the exact same company when they use both methods. But you can’t find out where the best price is unless free rate quotes are compared using both methods.
Smart shoppers get results
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured cut full coverage and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
Drivers switch companies for any number of reasons including not issuing a premium refund, denial of a claim, policy cancellation or even high prices. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new company can be easier than you think.
Additional consumer information websites
Much more information about car insurance in Iowa can be read on the website for the Iowa Insurance Division through this link. Iowa consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, file complaints about a company, and learn about specific coverages.
Additional helpful sites include this page for car insurance prices in Iowa and this link which helps you find a Ottumwa agent.
