Cutting costs on insurance can seem to be challenging for drivers new to online price comparisons. Consumers have so many companies to choose from that it can quickly become a real hassle to lower your prices.
Insurance can be pricey, but you might find some hidden discounts to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically at the time you complete a quote, but occassionally some discounts must be requested specifically in order for you to get them.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, insurance companies aren’t that generous.
A list of companies and the discounts they provide include:
When quoting, ask every company to apply every possible discount. Depending on the company, some discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state.
There are several ways to compare car insurance quotes, but some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could waste time talking about coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could save time and use the internet to get pricing more quickly.
All the larger companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers submit their information once, and every company provides a quote based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to every company. To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to start a free quote.
The only downside to using this type of form is you can’t choose the insurers you will receive quotes from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we put together a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
The method you choose is up to you, but make sure you compare the same coverage data for each comparison quote. If you enter differing limits it will be nearly impossible to determine which rate is truly the best. Just a small difference in limits could throw off the whole comparison. And when price shopping your coverage, making a lot of price comparisons provides better odds of finding lower pricing.
Lots of things are part of the equation when quoting car insurance. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but others are not quite as obvious like where you live or your commute time.Part of the insurance buying process is learning some of the things that go into determining insurance rates. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that could result in better insurance rates.
When it comes to buying coverage, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different.
Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form.
Auto insurance providers like Allstate, Geico and Progressive consistently run television, radio, and online ads. All the ads tend to make the same promise that drivers will save a bundle after switching your policy. How does each company give you a lower rate? You have to listen carefully.
Insurance providers give the best rates for the type of driver that earns them the highest profit. A good example of a profitable risk profile could be a female over age 40, has no tickets, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications receive the lowest rate quotes and have a good chance to save a lot of money.
Drivers who do not match this stringent profile will probably be forced to pay a higher premium and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads say “people that switch” not “everyone who quotes” can save as much as they claim. This is how insurance companies can confidently make claims that they all have the best car insurance rates. Each company has different criteria, so you should do a price quote comparison at every renewal. It’s impossible to know the company that will fit your personal profile best.
Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as vandalism, rock chips in glass and falling objects. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Cougar from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for things like damaging your car on a curb, rolling your car, hitting a parking meter, hitting a mailbox and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Auto liability insurance – Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see liability limits 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.
Liability coverage protects against claims like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, structural damage, legal defense fees, loss of income and repair costs for stationary objects. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Mercury Cougar.
Due to the fact that many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses for things like rehabilitation expenses, funeral costs, EMT expenses and chiropractic care. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, an insured cut physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Consumers leave their current company for any number of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, denial of a claim, policy cancellation or being labeled a high risk driver. Whatever your reason, switching companies is less work than it seems.
In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to get a better price on 1995 Mercury Cougar insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest car insurance. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company.
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