Shopping for cheaper insurance online can seem to be problematic for comparing rates and buying insurance over the internet. With such a large choice of online companies available, how are vehicle owners able to even start to compare every company to locate lower insurance premiums?
Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. But drivers must understand how big insurance companies compete online and take advantage of how the system works.
Buying auto insurance is not cheap, but there are discounts available that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Some discounts will apply when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically before you get the savings.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will definitely reduce your policy premium.
A list of companies and a partial list of their discounts are detailed below.
When quoting, ask all companies you are considering which discounts you may be entitled to. Discounts may not apply in your area.
There are several ways to compare insurance quotes, and some are easier and takes less work. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with agents in your area, or you can utilize the web for quick rates.
Many insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and at least one company then returns a price quote. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions for every insurance company.
To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.
The one disadvantage to getting quotes like this is you are unable to specify the providers you want pricing from. If you wish to select specific providers to receive pricing from, we have assembled a list of low cost insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.
How you compare quotes is your choice, just ensure you are comparing the exact same coverages on every quote. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles you can’t possibly determine which rate is truly the best. Slightly different insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. It’s important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes provides better odds of finding more affordable insurance.
When choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Every situation is different.
For instance, these questions may help highlight whether you would benefit from professional advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.
State Farm and Allstate regularly use ads in print and on television. They all convey the message about saving some big amount just by moving your auto insurance coverage to their company. How can each company have lower policy pricing? Just pay attention to how they say it.
All the different companies have specific criteria for the type of driver that will not have excessive claims. An example of this type of insured may need to be a female over age 40, has never had a policy lapse, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. Any customer who fits those characteristics will get the preferred prices and will probably save if they switch.
Potential insureds who don’t meet this stringent profile must pay higher premium rates which leads to business not being written. If you listen closely, the ads state “people who switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can state the savings. Because every company is different, you need to get as many free car insurance quotes as possible. It’s impossible to know which company will give you lower premium rates than your current company.
Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
This coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like hail damage, rock chips in glass and damage from flooding. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Collision coverage protection
This pays for damage to your Sportage resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for claims like crashing into a ditch, crashing into a building, hitting a parking meter and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Coverage for liability
Liability insurance will cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability can pay for things such as medical services, attorney fees, pain and suffering and structural damage. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Kia Sportage.
Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.
Insurance for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses for things like hospital visits, funeral costs and rehabilitation expenses. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
As you prepare to switch companies, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best possible price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just covered many ideas to get a better price on 2005 Kia Sportage insurance. The key concept to understand is the more you quote car insurance, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.
Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as policy non-renewal, delays in paying claims, lack of trust in their agent and even delays in responding to claim requests. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is not as hard as you think.
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