High-priced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Price shopping at each renewal is a fast and free way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
People have multiple car insurance companies to choose from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, so many choices can make it hard to compare company pricing.
Buying car insurance is not that difficult. If you have a current car insurance policy or are just looking to switch companies, you will benefit by learning to shop for the lowest rates while maintaining coverages. Vehicle owners only need an understanding of the proper methods to get comparison rates over the internet.
Comparing insurance coverage rates can be exhausting if you don’t know the best way to get rate quotes. You can waste a few hours (or days) driving to local insurance agents in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to get rates in a matter of minutes.
All the larger companies participate in a marketplace where insurance shoppers complete one form, and each company returns a competitive quote based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to every company.
To compare rates now click here to start a free quote.
The one disadvantage to using this type of form is you don’t know exactly which providers you will receive quotes from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies to compare prices, we have a page of low cost insurance coverage companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just double check that you are using the exact same quote data with each company. If you compare different coverage information then you won’t be able to truly determine the lowest rate.
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list all possible discounts very clearly, so the following list contains both the well known and also the more inconspicuous credits that you can use to lower your rates. If you do not double check each discount possible, you are not getting the best rate possible.
Please keep in mind that some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it’s just not the way it works.
A list of insurance coverage companies and a partial list of their discounts are included below.
When getting a coverage quote, ask all companies you are considering how you can save money. Some discounts listed above may not apply in every state. To view insurance coverage companies that offer multiple discounts, follow this link.
When it comes to buying coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether you may require specific advice.
If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.
Understanding the coverages of car insurance can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Liability – Liability insurance protects you from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people by causing an accident. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability insurance covers claims like medical expenses, pain and suffering and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy as much as you can afford.
Collision coverage – Collision coverage covers damage to your Ram Wagon resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, colliding with a tree, scraping a guard rail and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Medical expense insurance – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses for rehabilitation expenses, surgery and X-ray expenses. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your 1999 Dodge Ram Wagon.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like damage from flooding, damage from getting keyed and a broken windshield. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.