Tired of wondering where the money will come from to keep your car insured? Your situation is no different than many other consumers.
Numerous insurance companies battle for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies and get the best coverage at the lowest cost out there.
If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these methods. Finding the best rates is not that difficult. But drivers should learn the methods companies use to price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.
Shopping for lower insurance coverage rates can be a lot of work if you don’t understand the easiest way. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking about coverages with agents in your area, or you can stay home and use the internet to get pricing more quickly.
Most major companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and each participating company provides a quote based on that information. This eliminates the need for quote forms to each company. To compare rates now click here (opens in new window).
One minor caviat to comparing rates this way is that you can’t choose which insurance companies to get quotes from. So if you want to choose specific providers to receive pricing from, we have assembled a list of companies who write insurance coverage in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
Compare rates however you want, just do your best to use apples-to-apples coverage information on every price quote you get. If your comparisons have different limits and deductibles on each one then you won’t be able to truly determine the lowest rate. Slightly different insurance coverages or limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. Keep in mind that comparing more rates from different companies will increase your chances of finding a lower rate than you’re paying now.
Car insurance can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of purchase, but occassionally some discounts must be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.
It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Some of the insurance companies that possibly offer most of the discounts above include:
Before buying, ask every company the best way to save money. Discounts might not be offered on policies in your area.
When it comes to choosing coverage, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if you might need professional guidance.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning the factors that go into determining your policy premiums. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this allows you to make good choices that may result in better auto insurance rates. Many factors are used when you get a price on insurance. Some are pretty understandable like your driving record, but other factors are less obvious like your continuous coverage or how financially stable you are.
The following are some of the factors that factor into your premiums.
Understanding the coverages of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages found on the average insurance policy.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like damage from getting keyed, rock chips in glass and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability auto insurance – Liability insurance provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you against other people’s claims. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see values of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage protects against things like court costs, bail bonds, funeral expenses and structural damage. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Chevy S-10.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.
Insurance for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for expenses like funeral costs, EMT expenses, prosthetic devices, chiropractic care and ambulance fees. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers all vehicle 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
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as driving through your garage door, scraping a guard rail, colliding with another moving vehicle and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Lower-priced auto insurance is possible both online as well as from insurance agents, so you need to quote insurance with both to have the best rate selection. A few companies may not offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through local independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented many ideas to shop for 1997 Chevy S-10 insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the lowest rates are with some of the lesser-known companies. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate and Progressive.
Additional auto insurance information can be read on the following sites: