1998 Dodge Stratus Insurance Quotes

Looking for better auto insurance rates for your Dodge Stratus? Searching for budget auto insurance over the internet is somewhat difficult for comparing rates over the internet. Because there are so many online companies, how can you effectively compare them all to find the best price?

If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. This article will familiarize you with how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. Nevertheless, consumers must comprehend how big insurance companies market on the web and take advantage of how the system works.

More discounts mean cheap premiums

Buying insurance coverage is not cheap, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but some must be inquired about in order for you to get them.

  • Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
  • Drivers Ed for Students – Teen drivers should complete a driver education course as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military could trigger a small discount.
  • Club Memberships – Having an affiliation with a qualifying organization is a simple method to lower premiums on your policy.
  • Good Grades Discount – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down on your Dodge can earn lower premium rates on the low mileage vehicles.

We need to note that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, you aren’t that lucky. Any amount of discount should help lower the premium cost.

To see a list of insurance coverage companies who offer insurance coverage discounts, follow this link.

How to lower your insurance cost

The are a couple different ways to get quotes from many insurance companies in your state. By far the easiest way to find affordable 1998 Dodge Stratus insurance rates consists of shopping online. This can be done in several different ways.

  1. The most efficient way to get the best comparison quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison click to view form in new window. This form saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for each price estimate. One form compares rates from multiple low-cost companies. Just one form and you’re done.
  2. A harder way to compare prices is going to the website for each individual company to complete their respective quote request forms. For examples sake, we’ll pretend you want to compare State Farm, Geico and GMAC. You would have to spend time going to each site individually to enter your coverage information, which explains why we recommend starting with the first method.

    For a list of companies in your area, click here.

Take whichever approach you prefer, but try to use nearly identical quote data on every price quote you get. If you compare different liability limits it’s not possible to make a fair rate comparison. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages or limits may result in a large different in cost. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes will improve the odds of getting more affordable insurance.

How do insurance providers determine Dodge Stratus insurance prices?

Lots of things are taken into consideration when you quote your car insurance policy. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, but other factors are less obvious like your vehicle usage or how safe your car is.

  • Gender matters – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Both sexes tend to get into fender benders in similar numbers, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also get cited for more serious violations like driving under the influence (DUI).
  • Reserve claims for larger damages – If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims don’t be surprised to see either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance companies generally give cheaper rates to people who do not file claims often. Your car insurance is intended to be relied upon for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
  • Accidents are costly – Attentive drivers get better prices than bad drivers. Even one citation may increase your cost substantially. Drivers who have license-revoking citations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
  • City traffic equals higher prices – Residing in smaller towns and rural areas of the country can save you money if you are looking for the lowest rates. People who live in big cities have to deal with more road rage incidents and higher rates of accident claims. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
  • Excellent credit equals lower premiums – Your credit score will be a significant factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Drivers who have very good credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit history can use some improvement, you may save money insuring your 1998 Dodge Stratus by improving your rating.

It’s not one size fits all

When buying coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different.

Here are some questions about coverages that might point out whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • Is my state a no-fault state?
  • Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
  • Am I covered when driving a rental car?
  • Am I getting all the discounts available?
  • Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
  • What if I owe more than I can insure my car for?
  • Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
  • When should I drop full coverage on my 1998 Dodge Stratus?
  • When should I not file a claim?
  • Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form.

Learn about insurance coverages for a 1998 Dodge Stratus

Knowing the specifics of your policy aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Dodge Stratus.

Due to the fact that many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.

Insurance for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses for chiropractic care, dental work and X-ray expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like rock chips in glass, damage from flooding, theft and damage from getting keyed. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Collision coverages – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Stratus resulting from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things like hitting a mailbox, backing into a parked car, crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Auto liability insurance – This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people. It protects YOU against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000.

Liability coverage pays for things such as attorney fees, legal defense fees and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.

Save for a rainy day

Some companies may not offer online rate quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies only sell through local independent agents. Cheap 1998 Dodge Stratus insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis.

We just covered many ways to lower your 1998 Dodge Stratus insurance auto insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from the smaller companies.

Consumers who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in responding to claim requests, unfair underwriting practices or policy non-renewal. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching car insurance companies is not as difficult as it may seem.

To learn more, feel free to visit the following helpful articles: