2002 Toyota Highlander Car Insurance Rates – 10 Tips to Save

Tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to pay auto insurance each month? You have the same problem as millions of other drivers. With so many options, it can be challenging to find a lower cost auto insurance company.

It’s a great practice to check auto insurance prices once or twice a year since prices are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest price for Highlander insurance a few years ago other companies may now be cheaper. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re about to find out the fastest way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

Insurance discounts are available to cut your rates

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you can get discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at the time you complete a quote, but some must be specially asked for in order for you to get them. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one is not really a discount per se, but some companies like State Farm, Progressive and Geico may permit one accident without the usual rate increase as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
  • Student Discount for Driver Training – Cut your cost by having your teen driver sucessfully take a drivers education course in school or through a local driver safety program.
  • Professional Memberships – Having an affiliation with a professional or civic organization may earn a discount on insurance.
  • Save with More Vehicles Insured – Purchasing coverage when you have several vehicles with one company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Defensive Driving Course – Completing a defensive driver course can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
  • Renewal Discounts – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a new policy prior to the expiration date on your current policy. You may see this discount when you get auto insurance quotes online.
  • Save with a New Car – Insuring a vehicle that is new can save you some money since new model year vehicles have better safety ratings.
  • E-sign – A handful of companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy digitally online.
  • Telematics Devices – People who choose to allow their insurance company to study their driving habits by using a telematic data system such as Drivewise from Allstate or Snapshot from Progressive may see discounts if they exhibit good driving behavior.
  • Active Service Discounts – Having a deployed family member could qualify you for better prices.

Just know that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.

If you would like to choose from a list of insurers with the best discounts, click here.

Buy insurance online

All major insurance companies allow you to get pricing from their websites. Comparing prices online is fairly straightforward as you just enter your required coverages into a form. Once entered, the quote system gets credit information and your driving record and generates pricing information based on the data you entered. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to each company’s website and repetitively type in your information gets old quite quickly. But it’s also necessary to get many rate quotes in order to get the best price possible.

A more efficient way to lower your insurance bill makes use of a single form to obtain quotes from a lot of companies. It saves time, eliminates form submissions, and makes comparison shopping much more enjoyable. Immediately after you send the form, it gets priced and you can select your choice of the returned quotes. If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and buy the policy. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and may save quite a bit of money.

To compare rates using this form now, click here and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you duplicate coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will be getting a price comparison using the same coverage and limits.

Everyone needs different auto insurance coverages

When it comes to buying the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions may help you determine if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.

  • Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Am I covered if my car is in a flood?
  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
  • How much liability coverage do I need in my state?
  • How many claims can I have before being cancelled?
  • Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
  • Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?

If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and may give you better protection.

Coverage specifics

Knowing the specifics of auto insurance can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are the usual coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Liability

Liability coverage protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property. It protects YOU from legal claims by others. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show values of 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage pays for things such as emergency aid, medical expenses, medical services, structural damage and pain and suffering. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Coverage for collisions

Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Highlander resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers claims such as scraping a guard rail, hitting a mailbox, colliding with another moving vehicle and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.

Coverage for medical payments

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for short-term medical expenses for dental work, surgery, nursing services, chiropractic care and doctor visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

Comprehensive coverages

This coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer, falling objects and damage from flooding. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked.

Online plus local equals savings

Budget-conscious 2002 Toyota Highlander insurance is definitely available from both online companies and from local insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some auto insurance companies do not provide online quoting and usually these regional insurance providers work with independent agencies.

As you prepare to switch companies, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where someone dropped full coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost while still protecting your assets.

More tips and info about auto insurance can be read in the articles below: