Being forced to pay for expensive insurance premiums can empty your accounts and force you to cut corners elsewhere. Comparing rate quotes is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
Consumers have many insurance companies to pick from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, having more insurers makes it harder to find a good deal.
Finding more affordable protection is easy if you know what you’re doing. Just about every driver who is required by state law to have car insurance will more than likely be able to reduce their rates. Nevertheless, car owners should learn the way companies compete online and use this information to your advantage.
Comparing car insurance rates can be a daunting task if you don’t understand the easiest way. You could spend your day talking to local insurance agents in your area, or you could use the internet to get the quickest rates.
All the larger companies enroll in a system where insurance shoppers complete one form, and every company returns a competitive quote based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions for every car insurance company.
To access this free quoting program, click here to start a free quote.
The one downside to using this type of system is you are unable to specify which insurance companies to receive prices from. So if you prefer to choose specific providers to receive pricing from, we have a listing of car insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.
Whichever way you use, try to use apples-to-apples coverages for each price quote. If you are comparing different coverage information it’s not possible to make a fair rate comparison. Just a small difference in limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when quoting car insurance, remember that comparing more rates from different companies gives you a better chance of getting more affordable insurance. Some smaller insurers to not give price estimates online, so you should also compare rates from them, too.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that you may not even be aware of. A few discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be inquired about before being credited. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.
As a footnote on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, you aren’t that lucky.
Auto insurance companies that may include many of the previously listed discounts possibly include:
If you are trying to find the cheapest insurance coverage quotes, ask all the companies what discounts are available to you. Savings may not be offered in your area. For a list of insurance coverage companies with the best discounts, click this link.
When buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Insurance providers like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the companies advertise the message about saving some big amount if you move your coverage to them. How is it plausible that every one can say the same thing? This is the way they can do it.
All companies require specific criteria for the type of driver that earns them the highest profit. One example of a profitable insured might be over age 30, has a clear driving record, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. A customer getting a price quote that matches those criteria receives the best car insurance rates and most likely will cut their rates if they switch.
Potential customers who do not fit these criteria will be quoted higher rates which leads to business not being written. The ads state “customers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can state the savings.
This really emphasizes why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know which insurance companies will fit you best based on your risk profile.
Understanding the coverages of insurance can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are typical coverages found on most insurance policies.
Liability coverage
This provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property in an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for things like funeral expenses, medical services, structural damage, medical expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your MINI Cooper.
Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as hitting a deer, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a bird and hail damage. The most a insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Collision insurance
Collision coverage pays for damage to your Cooper resulting from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for claims like crashing into a ditch, colliding with a tree, hitting a mailbox and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Coverage for medical expenses
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for short-term medical expenses like ambulance fees, funeral costs, nursing services and rehabilitation expenses. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
The cheapest 2008 MINI Cooper insurance can be sourced online as well as from insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers may not offer internet price quotes and many times these small insurance companies work with independent insurance agencies.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at the best possible price while still protecting your assets.
In this article, we presented many ideas to get a better price on 2008 MINI Cooper insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest insurance coverage. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Progressive or Geico.
Additional insurance coverage information can be found at these links: