If you’re new to shopping for auto insurance quotes online, by this point your are probably bewildered due to the large selection of insurers offering insurance.
If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. This article will familiarize you with how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. But car owners must know how companies sell online because it can help you find the best coverage.
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not know about. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically before you get the savings.
One last thing about discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Despite the appearance that you can get free auto insurance, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer can be found below.
If you are trying to find cheap auto insurance quotes, ask each insurance company how many discounts you can get. Some discounts may not apply to policies in every state. For a list of insurance companies that offer many of these discounts, click here.
There are a lot of ways to compare auto insurance quotes, but one way is easier and takes less work. You can spend your afternoon talking to agents in your area, or you could use online quoting to get prices fast.
The majority of car insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and each company then returns a price quote based on the submitted data. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests to every company.
To participate in this free quote system, click to open in new window.
The single downside to comparing rates this way is you don’t know exactly which insurance companies you want to price. So if you want to select individual companies for rate comparison, we have assembled a list of auto insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
The method you choose is up to you, but make sure you compare apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles with each company. If each company quotes different limits and deductibles on each one it will be very difficult to truly determine the lowest rate. Slightly different insurance coverages or limits can result in a big premium difference. Just remember that comparing more quotes increases the change that you will find lower pricing.
When it comes to choosing the best insurance coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether or not you could use an agent’s help.
If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form.
Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement.
Comprehensive auto coverage
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things like theft, vandalism and hitting a deer. The most your insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability car insurance
Liability insurance can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability can pay for claims such as bail bonds, emergency aid and loss of income. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy higher limits if possible.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Cadillac CTS.
Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.
Collision insurance
Collision coverage covers damage to your CTS resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for claims such as crashing into a ditch, backing into a parked car, crashing into a building, sustaining damage from a pot hole and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Medical payments and PIP coverage
Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses like ambulance fees, EMT expenses, surgery and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
We just showed you some good ideas how you can compare 2004 Cadillac CTS insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the best price on auto insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.
Consumers switch companies for many reasons like an unsatisfactory settlement offer, extreme rates for teen drivers, poor customer service and even being labeled a high risk driver. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company can be less work than you think.
As you quote auto insurance, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are too many instances where an insured dropped liability coverage limits only to find out they didn’t have enough coverage. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.