How Much Does 2003 GMC Sierra 3500 Car Insurance Cost?

If price shopping auto insurance quotes online is new to you, you may be baffled of online car insurance companies and websites who all claim to have the lowest rates.

Consumers should take time to do rate comparisons quite often since prices change regularly. Even if you think you had the best deal for Sierra coverage six months ago there is a good chance you can find better rate quotes now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the things you must know in order to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.

Finding affordable coverage is not that difficult. Basically, every driver who shops for auto insurance should be able to find lower rates. But car owners need to learn how big insurance companies sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.

How to compare car insurance rate quotes

The are a couple different ways of comparing rates from companies that offer car insurance in your state. The recommended way to find the lowest 2003 GMC Sierra 3500 rates is to jump online and get quotes. This is quite simple and can be completed in several different ways.

  1. One of the best ways to get quotes for comparison would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions for each price estimate. One form submission will return quotes from several companies. It’s the fastest way to compare.
  2. Another way to get quotes online is to take the time to go to each individual company website and repeat the quote process. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want to compare prices for Farmers, Esurance and Geico. In order to compare rates, you need to go to each individual site and type in your information over and over, which is not fast way to get rate quotes.

    To view a list of companies in your area, click here.

  3. The most difficult way to comparison shop rate quotes is driving to all the different insurance agencies. The ability to quote online eliminates the middleman unless your situation requires the professional abilities that only a licensed agent can provide. Drivers can price shop your coverage online and still use a local agent.

How you compare quotes is your choice, just make absolute certain that you use the exact same coverage data for each quote you get. If you are comparing different values for each quote you will not be able to determine which rate is truly the best. Just slight variations in insurance coverages or limits may cause a big price difference. And when quoting car insurance, remember that comparing more rates from different companies increases the change that you will find the best rates.

Are you qualifying for every discount?

Buying car insurance is not cheap, but you might be missing out on some discounts that can help lower your rates. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you get the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount available, you may be paying too high a price.

  • Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify for a discount when you quote auto insurance for Sierra coverage with certain companies.
  • Membership in Organizations – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
  • Distant Student – Older children who are attending college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
  • Defensive Driver Discounts – Participating in a defensive driver course can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
  • Sign Early and Save – Select larger companies give a discount for switching companies before your current policy expires. It could save around 10% when you buy auto insurance online.
  • Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 could receive better car insurance rates for Sierra coverage.
  • Multiple Cars – Drivers who insure several vehicles on one policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Good Student Discount – Excelling in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. You can use this discount normally well after school through age 25.
  • Student Discount for Driver Training – Have your child take driver’s ed class in school or through a local driver safety program.
  • Low Mileage – Low annual miles may allow you to get better premium rates on cars that stay parked.

A little disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.

Companies and their offered discounts can be found below.

  • Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, homeowner, and online quote discount.
  • SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including bundle discounts, teen safe driver, anti-lock brakes, homeowner, and teen safety rewards.
  • American Family may include discounts for TimeAway discount, defensive driver, air bags, good driver, early bird, multi-vehicle, and accident-free.
  • MetLife offers discounts including claim-free, defensive driver, multi-policy, accident-free, good student, and good driver.
  • Geico offers discounts for federal employee, multi-policy, anti-theft, emergency military deployment, and daytime running lights.
  • The Hartford may offer discounts for driver training, good student, defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, and bundle.

Before you buy a policy, ask every company to apply every possible discount. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply everywhere.

Learn how to find car insurance at a discount

Lots of things are part of the equation when you quote your car insurance policy. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but other factors are less obvious such as your credit history or your commute time.

The factors shown below are a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine prices.

  • lapses raise car insurance rates – Having an insurance coverage lapse is a sure-fire way to bump up your car insurance costs. In addition to paying higher rates, getting caught without coverage can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license. You could then be forced to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state DMV.
  • Obey driving laws and save – Having a single moving violation can increase the cost of insurance substantially. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better prices than bad drivers. Drivers who have gotten dangerous violations like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find that they have to to file a SR-22 with their state’s licensing department in order to continue driving.
  • Do you need those incidental coverages? – There are a ton of optional add-on coverages that can add up if you aren’t diligent. Things like personal injury protection, towing coverage, and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if you’ve never needed them in the past eliminate them to save money.
  • Experienced drivers are lower risk – Older, more experienced drivers are shown to be more cautious, file fewer claims and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.Teen drivers have a tendency to get distracted easily with other occupants in the car and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
  • Cheaper rates after marriage – Walking down the aisle actually saves money when shopping for car insurance. Having a significant other usually means you are more mature and responsible and statistics prove married couples file fewer claims.
  • Car insurance liability coverage limits – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you when you are found liable for damages from an accident. This coverage provides for a legal defense which can cost a lot. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.

When in doubt talk to an agent

When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

For example, these questions may help you determine whether or not you might need professional guidance.

  • Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
  • Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
  • Is my 2003 GMC Sierra 3500 covered for smoke damage?
  • Is my state a no-fault state?
  • Do I need higher collision deductibles?
  • Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.

Educate yourself about insurance coverages

Knowing the specifics of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. Insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Auto collision coverage

This coverage pays for damage to your Sierra 3500 from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for things like backing into a parked car, sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a building, rolling your car and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Comprehensive coverages

Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix 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 things such as hitting a deer, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, rock chips in glass and damage from a tornado or hurricane. 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 not worth carrying full coverage.

Liability coverages

This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property. It protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 25/50/25 which stand for a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability coverage pays for things such as court costs, medical services, pain and suffering, attorney fees and emergency aid. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

This provides protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your GMC Sierra 3500.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Coverage for medical payments

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for expenses for things like ambulance fees, nursing services, surgery and hospital visits. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

In Summary

We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to compare 2003 GMC Sierra 3500 insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better likelihood of getting affordable auto insurance. You may even find the best price on auto insurance is with the least-expected company.

Drivers change insurance companies for many reasons like delays in paying claims, lack of trust in their agent, high rates after DUI convictions and high prices. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching auto insurance companies is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

When searching for the cheapest auto insurance quotes, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The aim is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best possible price, not the least amount of coverage.

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