Are you a victim of an expensive car insurance policy? It’s quite common and many drivers have buyer’s remorse. Multiple insurance companies compete for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a provider to get the lowest price
If you are insured now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates is not that difficult. Vehicle owners just need to learn the most efficient way to compare prices online.
There are multiple methods to shop for insurance coverage, but some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking to insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize the internet for quick rates.
Most of the larger companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for.
To find out how much you can save on insurance coverage click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to pricing coverage this way is buyers cannot specifically choose the companies you want to price. If you would rather choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we have a listing of low cost insurance coverage companies in your area. Click here to view list.
Which method you use is up to you, but compare apples-to-apples quote data for each quote you get. If the quotes have mixed coverages you will not be able to determine which company has the best rates.
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts to help bring down the price. Certain credits will be shown when you complete an application, but a few need to be specially asked for before being credited.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount should help reduce your premiums.
A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer include:
When getting a coverage quote, ask every prospective company to give you their best rates. A few discounts might not apply in your area. If you would like to see a list of insurers that offer multiple discounts, click this link.
Many different elements are taken into consideration when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as traffic violations, but other criteria are not quite as obvious like your continuous coverage or your commute time.
The items below are some of the factors used by insurance companies to determine your rate level.
When it comes to choosing coverage, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions could help you determine if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.
If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.
Drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to make an identical promise about how much you will save just by moving your policy.
How do they all make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
Many companies look for specific characteristics for a prospective insured that earns them the most money. A good example of this type of risk profile might be described as over the age of 45, has other policies, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. Any new insured who fits that profile will get very good rates and as a result will probably cut their rates if they switch.
Drivers who fall outside these stringent criteria will be quoted higher rates with the end result being the customer not buying. The trick companies use is to say “customers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save money. This is how companies can claim big savings.
This really illustrates why it is so important to get as many free auto insurance quotes as possible. You cannot predict the company that will have the lowest rates for your situation.
Knowing the specifics of car insurance helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the normal coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Collision coverage – Collision coverage covers damage to your Passport resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers things like rolling your car, hitting a parking meter and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. You can also increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Auto liability – This provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property by causing an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Liability coverage has three limits: 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 $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability insurance covers claims like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, medical expenses, funeral expenses and loss of income. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.
Medical costs insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for dental work, funeral costs and EMT expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as falling objects, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from flooding and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
UM/UIM Coverage – This gives you protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Usually these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
In this article, we covered a lot of information how to lower your 1998 Honda Passport insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding inexpensive auto insurance. You may even find the lowest rates are with a small local company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate and Progressive.
As you prepare to switch companies, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many cases, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at the best possible price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
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