Are you tired of not being able to scrape enough together to buy car insurance? You’re in the same situation as the majority of other drivers.
Due to the large number of insurance providers from which to choose, it can be impossible to pick the most cost effective car insurance provider.
Consumers need to get comparison quotes at least once a year because insurance prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Even if you got the lowest rates for 3 Series insurance a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate quote today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the quickest ways to find great coverage at a great price.
There are several ways to compare insurance coverage prices and some are easier and takes less work. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking to insurance companies in your area, or you can stay home and use the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.
All the larger companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers submit one quote, and every company returns a rated price based on that information. This eliminates the need for form submissions for each company you want a rate for.
To get comparison pricing now click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to getting quotes like this is that you can’t choose which insurance companies you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare rates, we have assembled a list of low cost insurance coverage companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you’re using exactly the same coverage data with each company. If the quotes have different values for each quote it will be very difficult to determine the best price for your BMW 3 Series. Just slight variations in coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. Just keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding the best rates. Some companies don’t provide price estimates online, so it’s important to also get rates from those companies as well.
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that can help lower your rates. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested before they will apply.
Policy discounts save money, but some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, you aren’t that lucky. But all discounts will definitely reduce your policy premiums.
Larger insurance coverage companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be found below.
When comparing rates, check with every prospective company which discounts you qualify for. Savings might not be offered on policies in your area. To find insurers that provide some of the discounts listed above, follow this link.
When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions could help you determine whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.
If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Knowing the specifics of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are typical coverage types offered by car insurance companies.
Coverage for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for bills for ambulance fees, funeral costs, hospital visits, dental work and surgery. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Normally these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Liability auto insurance – This coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see values of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers things like medical expenses, pain and suffering and loss of income. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but you should buy as much as you can afford.
Collision coverages – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with another car or object. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for things like damaging your car on a curb, crashing into a ditch, colliding with a tree, hitting a parking meter and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Comprehensive coverages – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as rock chips in glass, theft, fire damage and hail damage. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.