Lower Your 1997 GMC Sierra 2500 Car Insurance Cost

Looking for lower insurance coverage rates for your GMC Sierra 2500? Are you regretting buying high-priced insurance coverage? Don’t sweat it because there are many consumers feeling the pinch from expensive insurance coverage.

Due to the abundance of companies to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to locate the most cost effective insurance coverage company.

Buying affordable car insurance is quite easy. Basically, everyone who has to buy car insurance stands a good chance to be able to lower their premiums. Nevertheless, car owners do need to know how the larger insurance companies market insurance on the web and take advantage of how the system works.

Low cost insurance price quotes

To find cheaper insurance quotes, there are several ways to obtain and compare prices from different companies. One of the best ways to find cheaper GMC Sierra 2500 rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. It’s really quite simple and can be done in a couple minutes as outlined below.

  1. The first (and easiest) way to get quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This style of form prevents you from having to do multiple quote forms for each price estimate. A single form will return price quotes from several companies.
  2. A harder way to analyze rates is going to the website of each company and request a quote. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want to compare prices for USAA, Allstate and Travelers. In order to compare rates, you need to spend time going to each site individually and type in your information over and over, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just double check that you are using apples-to-apples coverage limits for each price quote. If you are comparing different values for each quote it will be nearly impossible to make a fair rate comparison. Just slight variations in insurance coverages could mean much higher rates. It’s important to know that quoting more increases the change that you will find better pricing.

Use discounts to get cheaper insurance quotes

Some insurers don’t always publicize every discount they offer in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of a few of the more common and the more hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you buy insurance online.

  • Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government may reduce rates when you quote insurance on Sierra insurance with some insurance companies.
  • Waiver for an Accident – Not a discount per se, but some companies like Progressive, Allstate, and Liberty Mutual allow you one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you have no claims prior to the accident.
  • Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Driver’s Ed – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll and complete driver’s education in school.
  • Senior Citizen Rates – Drivers over the age of 55 can possibly qualify for reduced rates on Sierra insurance.

Discounts save money, but please remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the 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 you could get a free insurance policy, insurance companies aren’t that generous.

For a list of insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above, follow this link.

GMC Sierra 2500 insurance prices can be more affordable

It’s important that you understand some of the elements that are used to determine insurance rates. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to lower rates. Many factors are taken into consideration when quoting car insurance. Some are obvious like your driving record, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as your marital status and annual miles driven.

  • More stress means more cost – Careers such as lawyers, social workers and accountants have the highest rates due to job stress and lengthy work days. Conversely, occupations like scientists, athletes and the unemployed get better rates on Sierra insurance.
  • Youthful drivers pay high rates – Drivers with little experience are statistically proven to be easily distracted when driving with friends so insurance rates are higher. Older insureds are proven to be safer behind the wheel, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.
  • Save money by raising physical damage deductibles – The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your insurance pays a claim. Physical damage protection, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims could be a windshield broken by a bird, vandalism, and damage caused by road hazards. The larger the amount you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the less your company will charge you for insurance on Sierra insurance.
  • Premiums for males may be higher – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. Males and females are responsible for at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but guys cause more damage. Not only are claims higher, but men get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Young men ages 16 to 20 cause the most accidents so they pay the highest premiums.
  • Liability insurance is critical – Your insurance policy’s liability coverage kicks in if ever you are ruled to be at fault for an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage which can cost a lot. Liability insurance is pretty cheap when compared to the cost of physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
  • Insurance companies don’t like frequent policy claims – Car insurance companies give discounts to drivers who do not file claims often. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher premiums or even policy non-renewal. Insurance coverage is designed for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
  • A lcoverage lapse is a bad thing – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a quick way to increase your renewal premiums. In addition to paying higher premiums, getting caught without coverage might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license. You may then be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
  • Optional features that lower insurance rates – Choosing a vehicle with advanced anti-theft systems can help lower your premiums. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems help track and prevent auto theft.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When buying the best insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

  • What is no-fault insurance?
  • What happens if I owe more than my 1997 GMC Sierra 2500 is worth?
  • Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
  • Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area.

Insurance policy specifics

Learning about specific coverages of insurance can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find typical coverages available from insurance companies.

Comprehensive protection

This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as hail damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, falling objects and theft. The most 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.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family. Normally these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Collision coverage

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers claims such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, driving through your garage door, hitting a parking meter, scraping a guard rail and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Liability coverage

Liability insurance can cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Another option is a combined limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for claims such as loss of income, structural damage, court costs, pain and suffering and medical expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but buy higher limits if possible.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses such as doctor visits, X-ray expenses and ambulance fees. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Never pay more for less

Some companies don’t offer online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent insurance agents. Low-cost 1997 GMC Sierra 2500 insurance is definitely available online in addition to local insurance agencies, so you need to compare both to have the best rate selection.

We just showed you a lot of techniques to compare 1997 GMC Sierra 2500 insurance rates online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. Smaller companies often have lower car insurance rates on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.

When getting insurance quotes online, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an insured dropped liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best possible price while still protecting your assets.

More detailed insurance coverage information can be read in these articles: