No sane person enjoys paying for car insurance, especially when they know they could lower their rates if they shopped around.
Insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive all promote huge savings with advertising and it is difficult to see past the geckos and flying pigs and find the best price available.
Car insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but there may be some discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. Most are applied at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.
Don’t be shocked that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though the math looks like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
If you would like to view providers that offer discounts, click here to view.
Most larger insurance companies allow consumers to get coverage prices online. Doing online quotes is fairly simple as you simply type in the coverages you want into the quote form. Once entered, the system automatically orders credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on the data you entered. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the work required to visit many different websites and type in your information is a big time waster. But it’s also necessary to compare as many rates as possible if you want to get a better rate.
A more efficient way to find cheaper rates is to use a quote form that gets prices from many companies. It saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes rate comparisons a lot less work. After sending your information, it is rated and you can select any one of the pricing results.
If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and could lower your rates considerably.
In order to find out if lower rates are available, simply click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you complete the form with deductibles and limits identical to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will have a fair comparison based on identical coverages.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that aid in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. If you understand what determines premiums, this enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings. Multiple criteria are part of the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Some factors are common sense like an MVR report, but others are not quite as obvious such as your credit history and annual miles driven.
When it comes to choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions might point out whether your personal situation may require specific advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Popular insurance providers such as State Farm, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads in print and on television. They all say the same thing that drivers will save a bundle just by switching to their company. How is it possible that every company can cost less than your current company? It’s all in the wording.
Many companies have specific guidelines for a prospective insured that is profitable for them. One example of a profitable risk profile could be a married male, has no prior claims, and has great credit. Any new insured that fits those parameters will qualify for the lowest car insurance rates and have a good chance to save money with a new company.
Insureds who don’t meet those criteria will be charged a higher rate and this results in business going elsewhere. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can save as much as they claim. That’s the way companies can advertise the way they do.
Because of the profiling, you really need to do a quote comparison often. Because you cannot predict which insurance companies will be your best fit.
Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the usual coverages found on the average insurance policy.
Coverage for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses such as funeral costs, hospital visits, surgery and doctor visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Collision coverages – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Neon caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against things such as sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with a tree, hitting a mailbox and scraping a guard rail. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive coverages – This pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like damage from flooding, fire damage, hail damage and rock chips in glass. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Auto liability – Liability insurance will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability can pay for things such as medical expenses, medical services, attorney fees, court costs and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Usually these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
We covered quite a bit of information on how to compare 1999 Dodge Neon insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better likelihood of getting low cost insurance coverage. Drivers may discover the best price on auto insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Smaller companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as Geico and State Farm.
As you restructure your insurance plan, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many instances, someone dropped full coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your goal should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
More detailed auto insurance information can be found at these sites: