Save on 2004 Saab 9-5 Insurance Rates

Looking for better car insurance rates for your Saab 9-5? Being forced to pay for high-priced car insurance premiums can diminish your monthly budget, especially in this economy.

Because there are so many different company options, it can be diffult for drivers to find the cheapest car insurance provider.

It’s a good idea to get comparison quotes before your next renewal since prices change quite often. Even if you think you had the best deal on 9-5 coverage at your last renewal you may be paying too much now. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re about to learn the fastest way to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.

Shopping for the best coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Just about anyone who carries car insurance should be able to reduce their rates. Although drivers can benefit from knowing how companies sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.

Low cost auto insurance prices

When comparison shopping, there are several ways to obtain and compare prices from many auto insurance companies in your state. The quickest method to do a complete rate comparison is simply to get online rate quotes. This is quite simple and can be completed in a couple of different ways.

If you don’t have a lot of time, the easiest way to get the best comparison quotes is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This quick form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for each company you want a rate for. Completing one form gets coverage cost estimates from auto insurance companies with the best prices.

A less efficient way to find more affordable insurance is going to each individual company website to complete a price quote. For examples sake, let’s assume you want to compare rates from Progressive, 21st Century and American Family. To find out each rate you need to take the time to go to each site and repeatedly type in your coverage information, which can get old fast. For a handy list of car insurance company links in your area, click here.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make sure you compare equivalent quote information on every quote you get. If you have different coverage information you can’t possibly determine which company has the best rates. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages or limits may result in a large different in cost. Keep in mind that more quotes helps improve the odds of finding more affordable insurance. Not every company provides rate quotes online, so you should also compare quotes from them, too.

Are you earning every discount?

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you might already qualify for some discounts to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of purchase, but some discounts are required to be manually applied in order for you to get them. If you don’t get every credit available, you are just wasting money.

  • Accident Waiver – but companies like Allstate, State Farm and Geico will let one accident slide before they charge you more for coverage if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
  • Life Insurance – Larger companies have a small discount if you purchase life insurance.
  • Anti-theft System – Cars equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
  • Homeowners Savings – Owning a house can get you a discount because it is proof that your finances are in order.
  • Driver Education Discount – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Being on active duty in the military could trigger a small discount.
  • Savings for New Vehicles – Buying a new car instead of a used car can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles keep occupants safer.
  • Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up before driving can save a little on medical payment and PIP coverage.

As a sidenote, some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though the math looks like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

A few of the larger companies and some of the discounts include:

  • Progressive discounts include multi-policy, homeowner, online signing, continuous coverage, and online quote discount.
  • AAA may offer discounts for good student, good driver, pay-in-full, multi-car, multi-policy, anti-theft, and AAA membership discount.
  • Farmers Insurance includes discounts for switch companies, distant student, bundle discounts, electronic funds transfer, mature driver, business and professional, and pay in full.
  • Geico offers discounts for membership and employees, military active duty, seat belt use, daytime running lights, federal employee, and air bags.
  • Esurance has savings for emergency road assistance, anti-lock brakes, multi-car, online shopper, claim free, and Switch & Save.
  • SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, teen safety rewards, bundle discounts, safe driver, teen safe driver, and multi-car.
  • State Farm offers discounts including anti-theft, student away at school, multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good student, accident-free, and defensive driving training.

When quoting, ask each insurance company which discounts you may be entitled to. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply to policies in your area. To see a list of companies who offer free auto insurance quotes, click here to view.

When in doubt talk to an agent

When it comes to choosing coverage, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you could use an agent’s help.

  • What is the rate difference between pleasure use and commuting?
  • Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
  • What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
  • Am I getting all the discounts available?
  • Can I get a multi-policy discount?
  • Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
  • Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?

If you can’t answer these questions, you might consider talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.

Informed drivers can lower their insurance premiums

Multiple criteria are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving record, but others are not as apparent such as your marital status or how safe your car is.An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that are used to determine the rates you pay for insurance coverage. If you understand what impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that can earn you better insurance coverage rates.

  • Where you live can modify rates – Residing in small towns and rural areas has definite advantages when buying insurance coverage. Lower population translates into fewer accident claims in addition to lower liability claims Urban drivers have traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. More time on the road means higher likelihood of an accident.
  • Teenage drivers are expensive to insure – Older, more experienced drivers are shown to be more cautious, cause fewer claims and accidents .Inexperience drivers have been known to be inattentive and easily distracted when at the wheel of a vehicle so they pay higher insurance coverage rates.
  • If you don’t need it don’t buy it – There are a lot of extra coverages that you can buy if you aren’t careful. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage, and membership fees may not be needed and are just wasting money. You may think they are a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
  • Don’t cancel your insurance coverage without a new one in place – Letting your insurance expire will be a fast way to increase your rates. Not only will rates go up, not being able to provide proof of insurance could earn you fines and jail time. You may need to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.
  • Bundle policies with the same company – Most major insurance coverage companies will give a discount to policyholders who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even with this discount, it’s in your best interest to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal. Consumers may save even more even if you insure with multiple companies
  • Save by driving vehicles with better crash test results – Vehicles that have high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders. If the Saab 9-5 scored at minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may pay a lower rate.
  • Gals tend to cost less – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown females are less aggressive when driving. However, don’t assume that men are worse drivers. Men and women have auto accidents at about the same rate, but males get into accidents with more damage. Not only are claims higher, but men get more serious tickets like driving under the influence (DUI). Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.

Learn about car insurance coverages for a 2004 Saab 9-5

Learning about specific coverages of your policy can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the normal coverages found on most car insurance policies.

Comprehensive coverages – This pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers things like damage from flooding, hail damage, fire damage and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time 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.

Collision – Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your 9-5 from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers claims such as rolling your car, driving through your garage door and damaging your car on a curb. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for expenses for things like ambulance fees, chiropractic care and prosthetic devices. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Liability car insurance – Liability insurance will cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims, and doesn’t 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 commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability can pay for things like repair costs for stationary objects, medical expenses and court costs. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and damage to your Saab 9-5.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Usually the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

And the best car insurance company is…

You just learned some good ideas how you can get a better price on 2004 Saab 9-5 insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest car insurance rates come from an unexpected company. Some small companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

When buying insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, someone sacrificed full coverage only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best possible price, not the least amount of coverage.

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