There isn’t a single person who likes having to buy insurance, especially when they are aware that they could find lower prices if they just compared rates.
There is such a variety of insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and although it’s a good thing to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to find the lowest cost provider.
It is always a good idea to do price comparisons at least once a year because insurance prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you found the best rates on SL-Class coverage a few years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because I’m going to teach you the best methods to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Many factors are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are obvious such as your driving record, but others are more transparent such as your credit history or your financial responsibility.
Listed below are some of the things auto insurance companies consider when setting your premiums.
Comparing insurance rates can be challenging if you don’t understand the easiest way. You can waste hours discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you can stay home and use the web to achieve your goal.
The majority of car insurance companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to enter their policy data once, and at least one company can give them a price based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests for every insurance company.
To find out how much you can save on insurance click to open in new window.
One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify the insurers to get quotes from. So if you want to choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we have a page of the cheapest insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.
How you compare quotes is your choice, just make sure you use the same information for every company. If each company quotes different coverage information you can’t possibly determine the best price for your Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. Even a minor difference in insurance coverages or limits could mean much higher rates. And when comparison shopping, getting more free quotes helps improve the odds of finding a lower rate than you’re paying now. Some companies don’t provide online quotes, so it’s necessary to compare price quotes from those companies as well.
Companies don’t always list every disount available very clearly, so we break down some of the more common and also the lesser-known credits available to lower your premiums when you buy auto insurance online.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Despite the fact that it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
A few popular companies and some of their more popular discounts include:
Double check with each insurance company to apply every possible discount. All car insurance discounts might not apply in your state. To locate car insurance companies with significant discounts, click here to view.
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from professional advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Having a good grasp of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Comprehensive auto coverage – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, a broken windshield and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another car or object. 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 driving through your garage door, hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter, colliding with another moving vehicle and backing into a parked car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Frequently these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses for things like funeral costs, doctor visits, hospital visits, prosthetic devices and ambulance fees. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Liability coverages – This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Some companies may use a combined limit which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage pays for claims like emergency aid, legal defense fees and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as large an amount as possible.
Lower-priced 2002 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class insurance can be bought online as well as from independent agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
While you’re price shopping online, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find at the lowest possible cost.