Cheap 2002 Toyota Tacoma Car Insurance Rates

I doubt anyone is fond of buying insurance coverage, especially when they know the cost is way too high.

Many car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every provider to find the best rates possible.

If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Choosing the best insurance company for you is not rocket science. Although car owners should learn the way insurance companies price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.

Save with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise every discount they offer in an easy-to-find place, so the below list has both the well known and the more hidden credits available to bring down your rates.

  • Distant College Student Discount – Children who live away from home at college and leave their car at home could qualify for this discount.
  • Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may qualify for discounts up to 30%.
  • Theft Deterent Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs optioned with advanced anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • Responsible Driver Discount – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more on Tacoma insurance compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
  • Savings for New Vehicles – Insuring a new car may earn a small discount because newer vehicles are generally safer.
  • Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a driver safety class could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Despite the fact that it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride.

A list of auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are shown below.

  • State Farm has discounts for multiple policy, anti-theft, passive restraint, driver’s education, accident-free, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
  • Geico discounts include seat belt use, defensive driver, anti-theft, military active duty, driver training, federal employee, and membership and employees.
  • Liberty Mutual offers discounts for good student, preferred payment discount, safety features, new move discount, and newly retired.
  • The Hartford offers premium reductions for air bag, driver training, anti-theft, bundle, vehicle fuel type, good student, and defensive driver.
  • MetLife offers discounts including good driver, good student, multi-policy, claim-free, accident-free, and defensive driver.
  • Progressive includes discounts for online quote discount, continuous coverage, homeowner, good student, multi-policy, and online signing.

If you need lower rates, check with every company what discounts are available to you. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state. To choose auto insurance companies who offer online auto insurance quotes, follow this link.

Learn how to lower your insurance premiums

Multiple criteria are used in the calculation when you get your auto insurance bill. Some of the criteria are obvious like a motor vehicle report, but other factors are less obvious such as whether you are married or how financially stable you are.When buying insurance coverage it’s important to understand some of the things that help calculate the level of your policy premiums. If you understand what controls the rates you pay, this allows you to make educated decisions that could help you find lower insurance coverage prices.

  • Always keep your insurance coverage in place – Driving any period of time without insurance is not a good idea and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage cancel without a new policy in place. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage might get you fines or a revoked license. You may then be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with your state DMV.
  • Too many policy claims will drive rates up – Auto insurance companies award most affordable rates to drivers that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for more catestrophic claims.
  • Poor credit score equals high rates – Having a bad credit score is a large factor in determining what you pay for insurance coverage. If your credit history is not that good, you may save money insuring your 2002 Toyota Tacoma by improving your rating. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than those with lower ratings.
  • Only buy coverage you need – Insurance policies have a lot of optional add-on coverages that may not really be needed if you aren’t diligent. Coverage for things like roadside assistance, high-cost glass coverage, and membership fees are some examples. The coverages may be enticing when discussing your needs, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so remove them from your policy.
  • Proper usage rating affects premiums – Driving a lot of miles in a year’s time the higher your rate. A lot of insurance companies apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks that do not get driven very much get more affordable rates than those used for commuting. Make sure your vehicle rating states the correct usage. Incorrect rating for your Tacoma is throwing money out the window.

Special considerations

When buying proper insurance coverage, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if you will benefit from professional help.

  • Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
  • What is medical payments coverage?
  • Is my 2002 Toyota Tacoma covered for smoke damage?
  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
  • Where can I find high-risk insurance?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Be skeptical of insurance ads

Insurance providers like State Farm and Allstate consistently run ads on television and other media. All the ads make the same claim that you’ll save big just by switching your policy. How can each company charge you a lower premium? This is how they do it.

Companies have underwriting criteria for the driver that will be a good risk. An example of a profitable risk profile might have to be a married male, insures multiple vehicles, and insures a new vehicle. Any new insured that fits those parameters will most likely get cheap car insurance rates and will save some money.

Drivers who cannot meet those standards will be charged higher premium rates which leads to the customer not buying. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings. Different companies use different criteria so drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will have better car insurance rates than you’re paying now.

Insurance coverage specifics

Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverage types available from insurance companies.

Liability

Liability insurance provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see values of 25/50/25 which stand for a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability can pay for claims like emergency aid, repair costs for stationary objects, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and court costs. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as fire damage, a broken windshield, theft and damage from flooding. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.

UM/UIM Coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your 2002 Toyota Tacoma.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Auto collision coverage

This will pay to fix damage to your Tacoma resulting from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers claims like hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses like doctor visits, hospital visits and dental work. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available and may carry a deductible

Make a quick buck

When searching for inexpensive auto insurance quotes, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

Some companies may not offer price quotes online smaller providers work with independent insurance agents. Cheap 2002 Toyota Tacoma insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection.

Much more information about insurance coverage can be found at these links: