Buying the lowest cost car insurance may at first seem to be overwhelming for people not familiar with buying insurance online. Since there are so many companies competing online, how are people expected to efficiently compare every company to locate better prices?
If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to save some money using this strategy. Locating the lowest cost auto insurance is simple if you know the tricks. But car owners must understand how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.
The most recommended method to compare insurance rates in your area utilizes the fact almost all companies participate in a system to give rate comparisons. The only thing you need to do is take a few minutes to give details including whether your vehicle is owned or leased, your education level, marital status, and if you have an active license. That information is instantly sent to many of the top insurers and they return rate quotes within a short period of time.
Auto insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but you might find some hidden discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some of these disounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied before being credited.
Keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride. But any discount will help lower your policy premium.
Larger auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts include:
When getting a coverage quote, ask every company to apply every possible discount. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be available in your area. For a list of insurance companies that offer discounts, click here to view.
When choosing proper insurance coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you might consider talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.
Knowing the specifics of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your CR-V caused by collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for claims like crashing into a building, rolling your car, scraping a guard rail, hitting a mailbox and sideswiping another vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Med pay and PIP coverage pay for bills for things like chiropractic care, X-ray expenses and nursing services. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
This coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. 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, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see liability limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as loss of income, court costs, repair costs for stationary objects and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as hail damage, vandalism and hitting a bird. The highest amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
This coverage protects you and your vehicle 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.
Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.