2004 Ford Focus Car Insurance Quotes

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.

Verify you’re receiving every discount

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.

  • Good Students Pay Less – Maintaining excellent grades may save you up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of up to 25% or more.
  • Theft Deterent Discount – Cars and trucks that have factory anti-theft systems have a lower chance of being stolen and that can save you a little bit as well.
  • Clubs and Organizations – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount on insurance coverage.
  • Multiple Policy Discount – If you combine your home and auto policies with the same insurance company you could earn a discount of at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
  • Low Miles Discount – Keeping the miles down on your Ford may allow you to get substantially lower rates.
  • Life Insurance Discount – If the company offers life insurance, you could get lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
  • Anti-lock Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-lock braking systems are much safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less – If paying your policy premium upfront as opposed to paying monthly you may have a lower total premium amount.
  • Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper since newer models have better safety ratings.

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.

  • Travelers may include discounts for payment discounts, home ownership, hybrid/electric vehicle, driver training, early quote, and continuous insurance.
  • 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including 55 and older, driver training, good student, theft prevention, homeowners, and air bags.
  • State Farm may have discounts that include multiple autos, multiple policy, safe vehicle, good driver, student away at school, driver’s education, and accident-free.
  • Geico includes discounts for defensive driver, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, multi-policy, federal employee, and emergency military deployment.
  • SAFECO offers discounts for safe driver, bundle discounts, anti-theft, teen safe driver, accident prevention training, and teen safety rewards.
  • AAA offers discounts including anti-theft, multi-car, pay-in-full, good student, and good driver.

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.

You can change your insurance prices

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.

  • Always keep your policy in place – Driving any period of time without insurance is illegal and insurance coverage companies will penalize you for letting your coverage lapse. Not only will rates go up, being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a steep fine or even jail time. You will then be forced to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
  • Do females or males drive better? – Statistics have proven that females tend to be a little less risky than males. However, don’t assume that males are worse at driving than females. They both get in fender benders at about the same rate, but guys tend to have higher claims. Not only are claims higher, but men get cited for more serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident so they pay the highest premiums.
  • High comp and collision deductibles save money – Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of some claims that would be covered are collision with another vehicle, vandalism, and having a roll-over accident. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less money you will pay for insurance coverage for Focus coverage.
  • No insurance coverage claims equals better premiums – Companies give most affordable rates to insureds that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you file claims often, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of claims that you cannot pay yourself.
  • High premiums for younger drivers – Older people are proven to be safer behind the wheel, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.Teenage drivers have a tendency to be inattentive and easily distracted in a vehicle so they pay higher insurance coverage rates.
  • Driving citations will cost you – How you drive has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Good drivers get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Having just one ticket can increase the cost of insurance by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who get multiple violations like DUI or willful reckless driving may face state-mandated requirements to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Pleasure use saves money – Driving a lot of miles every year the higher the price you pay to insure it. Many insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage based upon how much you drive. Cars that are left in the garage receive lower rates than those used for commuting. An incorrectly rated Focus is throwing money out the window. It’s always a good idea to double check that your insurance coverage coverage reflects annual mileage.
  • Premiums and employer – Jobs like military personnel, architects and financial analysts are shown to have higher premium rates attributed to intense work requirements and long work hours. Conversely, jobs like professors, athletes and the unemployed have lower than average premiums for Focus coverage.

When should I discuss my situation with an agent?

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.

  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
  • Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
  • If my 2004 Ford Focus is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
  • When should I not file a claim?

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 advertisements

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.

Educate yourself about insurance coverages

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.

More choices the merrier

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.

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