Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can empty your checking account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Doing a price comparison can be a smart way to lower your monthly bill.
Many insurers compete for your business, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the definite best rate
You should make it a habit to compare prices occasionally since prices change regularly. Just because you had the best deal for Durango insurance at your last renewal a different company probably has better rates today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the best methods to get good coverage at a lower rate.
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you may find discounts that you may not even know about. Some discounts will apply at quote time, but some discounts are required to be asked for before they will apply.
Discounts lower rates, but some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few popular companies and the discounts they provide are included below.
Check with all the companies how many discounts you can get. Some discounts listed above may not be available in your area.
Cutting your insurance coverage rates can be relatively painless. All you need to do is spend a little time getting comparison quotes to find the company with inexpensive car insurance quotes. This is very easy and can be done by using one of the methods below.
To view a list of companies in your area, click here.
Take whichever approach you prefer, but do your best to use identical coverage data for each price quote. If you enter different coverage information then you won’t be able to make an equal comparison.
Many things are part of the equation when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable like your driving record, but some are less obvious such as your credit history or your commute time.Smart consumers have a good feel for a few of the rating criteria that help determine auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates, this enables informed choices that can earn you lower premium levels.
The factors shown below are a few of the “ingredients” auto insurance companies consider when setting your rates.
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can provide invaluable advice.
Consumers can’t escape the ads for cheaper insurance by companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you get a free car insurance quote and switch your coverage.
How does each company give you a lower rate?
Different companies have an ideal profile for a prospective insured that will add to their bottom line. For example, a preferred risk may be between the ages of 40 and 55, has never had a policy lapse, and drives a safe vehicle. Someone that meets those criteria will get the preferred rates and have a good chance to save a lot if they switch.
Insureds who don’t meet these criteria may be required to pay higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way companies can make those statements. This illustrates why you should compare quotes as often as possible. It’s not possible to predict which company will have the best car insurance rates.
Having a good grasp of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are typical coverages available from insurance companies.
Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for things like X-ray expenses, chiropractic care and nursing services. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision coverages – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Durango resulting from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like damaging your car on a curb, crashing into a building, rolling your car, hitting a mailbox and backing into a parked car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive coverages – This coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as a broken windshield, falling objects and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Coverage for liability – This coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property by causing an accident. It protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as medical services, emergency aid and loss of income. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
When shopping online for insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed collision coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to lower your 2006 Dodge Durango insurance premium rates. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the lowest premium rates are with a lesser-known regional company. Smaller companies can often provide lower prices in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.
Even more information can be found in the articles below: