Lower Your 2000 Ford Contour Car Insurance Cost

Do you get exhausted from wondering where the money will come from each month for auto insurance? Your situation is no different than many other vehicle owners.

Because there are so many options, it can be hard to find the best insurer.

Consumers need to get comparison quotes periodically because prices change regularly. Even if you got the best rates for Contour coverage last year there is a good chance you can find better premium rates now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because it’s time to teach you how to use the internet to lower your annual insurance bill.

The purpose of this post is to help you learn how to get online quotes. If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. Although car owners should learn how big insurance companies price online insurance.

Discounts to earn cheaper insurance coverage rates

Buying insurance coverage is not cheap, but there are discounts available that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at the time you complete a quote, but some discounts are required to be asked about before you will receive the discount.

  • Homeowners Savings – Being a homeowner can get you a discount since owning and maintaining a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
  • Early Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
  • Service Members Pay Less – Being on active deployment in the military can result in better insurance coverage rates.
  • Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations can get you a small discount when shopping for insurance coverage.
  • Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive a small discount on rates for Contour coverage.
  • Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Having multiple vehicles with the same company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Paper-free Discount – A few larger online companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up on the internet.
  • Defensive Driver Discount – Taking time to complete a safe driver course may get you a small discount depending on where you live.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

A partial list of companies that may include most of these discounts include:

When quoting, ask all the companies to give you their best rates. Some credits might not be offered in your area. For a list of companies that offer the discounts shown above, click this link.

Affordable auto insurance quotes

When shopping for the cheapest car insurance quotes, there are a couple of ways to compare prices from auto insurance companies in your area. The fastest way to find competitive 2000 Ford Contour insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.

  1. Hands down the most simple method to get quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This style of form prevents you from having to do separate forms for every prospective company. Filling out one form compares rates from multiple companies.
  2. A less efficient way to analyze rates is to manually visit the website of each company to request a price quote. For instance, we’ll pretend you are doing a rate comparison from Geico, Progressive and Travelers. To do that, you would have to visit each site and repeatedly enter your information, which can take a lot of time. To view a list of companies in your area, click here.

Whichever method you choose, make sure you use identical coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If you have higher or lower deductibles it will be very difficult to make a fair comparison for your Ford Contour. Just a small difference in insurance coverages or limits may result in a large different in cost. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing a large number of companies gives you a better chance of getting a lower rate than you’re paying now. Some companies don’t provide online quotes, so it’s necessary to compare rates from the smaller companies as well.

Smart buyers know how to find car insurance for less

Many things are considered when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as traffic violations, although some other factors are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or your commute time.A large part of saving on car insurance is knowing some of the things that come into play when calculating the level of your policy premiums. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that can earn you cheaper rates.

  • Driver age impacts rates – More experienced drivers are more cautious drivers, cost insurance companies less in claims .Young drivers have been known to be careless and easily distracted when driving with friends therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
  • How’s your driving record? – Attentive drivers pay less for auto insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Only having one speeding ticket or other violation could increase your next policy renewal substantially. Drivers who get dangerous tickets like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may need to file a SR-22 with their state’s licensing department in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Your location is important – Residing in a small town has definite advantages when trying to find low car insurance rates. City drivers have to deal with more aggressive driving styles and longer commute times. Lower population translates into fewer accidents.
  • Credit history impact car insurance costs – A driver’s credit score factor in determining premium rates. If your credit score is not that good, you may save money insuring your 2000 Ford Contour if you clean up your credit. People with very high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims than drivers who have poor credit.
  • See if your company offers a multi-policy discount – Most car insurance companies give discounts to customers who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even if you’re getting this discount drivers will still want to compare rates to help ensure you have the lowest rates.There is a chance you can find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
  • Save money by raising physical damage deductibles – The deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend out-of-pocket before your car insurance pays a claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are rearending another vehicle, damage from fire, and damage caused by road hazards. The more you’re willing to pay, the less your car insurance will be for Contour coverage.
  • Infrequent drivers can save – The higher the mileage driven every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies charge rates based upon how much you drive. Vehicles that do not get driven very much cost less to insure than vehicles that have high annual mileage. Having the wrong rating on your Contour may be wasting your money. It’s a good idea to make sure your declarations sheet reflects the proper vehicle usage.

Tailor your auto insurance coverage to you

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions might help in determining if you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
  • How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
  • Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
  • Is my 2000 Ford Contour covered for smoke damage?
  • Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
  • I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
  • Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

Will you really save $450 on car insurance?

Big name companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm regularly use television and radio advertisements. They all make the same claim that you’ll save big if you just switch to them. How do they all give you a better price? Just pay attention to how they say it.

Car insurance companies offer their best rates for the type of customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a preferred risk may be a married male, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote that matches those criteria will probably get cheap prices and will probably cut their rates if they switch.

People who don’t measure up to the ideal profile may receive higher premiums which results in the customer buying from a different company. If you pay attention, the ads say “people that switch” not “all people who quote” can save as much as they claim. That’s why insurance companies can make claims that they all have the best prices.

This emphasizes why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to guess the company that will have the lowest rate quotes.

Auto insurance coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the normal coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Comprehensive insurance

This coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as hitting a bird, falling objects and damage from flooding. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for expenses like EMT expenses, prosthetic devices, ambulance fees and funeral costs. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Collision coverage protection

This coverage covers damage to your Contour resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against claims like damaging your car on a curb, sustaining damage from a pot hole, crashing into a building, rolling your car and hitting a mailbox. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability coverage

This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. It protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show limits of 50/100/50 which means a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for claims like attorney fees, structural damage and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your Ford Contour.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

More effort can pay off

Cost effective 2000 Ford Contour insurance can be purchased on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not have price quotes online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through independent agents.

You just read a lot of tips how to shop for 2000 Ford Contour insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premium rates are with some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower prices on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

More information can be found at the links below