Are you baffled by the sheer number of car insurance companies? Many other people are too. drivers have so many choices that it can be a difficult challenge to compare premium rates.
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that you may not even know about. Most are applied when you purchase, but occassionally some discounts must be inquired about before you get the savings.
A little disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Despite the fact that it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few of the larger companies and a selection of discounts are included below.
It’s a good idea to ask all the companies which discounts you may be entitled to. Some credits might not be offered in your state. To find providers with discount rates, click here.
Lots of things are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, but some are more transparent such as your credit history or your financial responsibility.
When buying proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
For example, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs may require specific advice.
If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form.
Insurance providers like State Farm and Allstate consistently run ads on television and other media. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings if you switch your insurance coverage to their company. But how can every company make almost identical claims? This is the way they can do it.
All the different companies quote their best rates for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a desirable insured may be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. Anyone who fits that profile will get a cheap rate quote and will save some money.
People who fall outside these stringent criteria will get higher premiums and business going elsewhere. The ads say “drivers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much when switching. That’s why insurance companies can confidently make those statements.
This really emphasizes why it is so important to do a rate comparison at every renewal. It’s not possible to predict which insurance company will give you lower rates than your current company.
Knowing the specifics of a insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Ford Focus.
Due to the fact that many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for short-term medical expenses for things like pain medications, nursing services, doctor visits, EMT expenses and dental work. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive auto coverage – This covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a bird and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays for damage to your Focus resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims like hitting a parking meter, sideswiping another vehicle and colliding with another moving vehicle. 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 increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability coverages – Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage protects against claims like repair costs for stationary objects, loss of income and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy higher limits if possible.
Consumers switch companies for a variety of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, questionable increases in premium, delays in paying claims or not issuing a premium refund. Whatever your reason, finding a new company can be less work than you think.
Cost effective 2004 Ford Focus insurance can be purchased both online as well as from insurance agents, so you need to quote car insurance with both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies do not provide rates over the internet and most of the time these smaller providers only sell coverage through local independent agencies.
We just showed you a lot of tips how to save on 2004 Ford Focus insurance. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better likelihood of getting cheap car insurance. Consumers could even find that the best price on insurance is with a lesser-known regional company.