Lower Your 2008 Subaru Forester Insurance Cost

Want the cheapest car insurance rates for your Subaru Forester? Are you tired of scraping the payment together to keep your car insured? You are in the same boat as the majority of other drivers. There are many insurance companies to pick from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, it makes it harder to find the lowest rates.

Consumers should take time to price shop coverage on a regular basis because car insurance prices change regularly. Just because you found the best price for Forester coverage a couple years back other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the quickest way to buy cheaper car insurance.

Are you qualifying for every discount?

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you might find some hidden discounts that many people don’t even know exist. A few discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but a few must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount.

  • Student in College – Youth drivers who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and leave their car at home can receive lower rates.
  • No Claims – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay much less as opposed to accident-prone drivers.
  • Multiple Vehicles – Drivers who insure more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Accident Waiver – This isn’t a discount exactly, but some insurance companies will let one accident slide before raising your premiums if you have no claims prior to being involved in the accident.
  • Employee of Federal Government – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% for Forester coverage with certain companies.
  • Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
  • Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts could see savings as much as 30%.

One last thing about discounts, most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Despite the appearance that all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount should help lower your overall premium however.

The best insurance coverage companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.

  • Mercury Insurance may have discounts that include multi-policy, good driver, multi-car, professional/association, annual mileage, ease of repair, and low natural disaster claims.
  • Farmers Insurance has discounts for electronic funds transfer, homeowner, youthful driver, switch companies, and pay in full.
  • Farm Bureau has savings for safe driver, 55 and retired, youthful driver, renewal discount, good student, multi-policy, and driver training.
  • State Farm includes discounts for passive restraint, multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, anti-theft, good student, multiple policy, and safe vehicle.
  • Allstate may offer discounts for premier plus, 55 and retired, resident student, premier discount, new car, and FullPay discount.
  • Geico policyholders can earn discounts including membership and employees, military active duty, multi-vehicle, defensive driver, good student, and air bags.

Before you buy a policy, ask every prospective company which discounts can lower your rates. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state.

How to lower your auto insurance cost

Most major insurance companies make it easy to get prices for coverage on their websites. Getting prices online is possible for anyone because it’s just a matter of typing in the coverage amounts you desire into the quote form. Upon sending the form, the company’s rating system obtains your driving and credit reports and gives you a price quote based on the information you submitted. Online price quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the work required to visit many different websites and type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s also necessary to get many rate quotes in order to get a better rate.

There is an easier way!

A quicker way to compare auto insurance pricing uses one form that analyzes rates from multiple companies. It’s a real time-saver, eliminates form submissions, and makes price shopping online much more enjoyable and efficient. Once the form is submitted, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the resulting price quotes.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. It only takes a few minutes and can result in significant savings.

To find out what other companies charge, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended that you enter coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This ensures you are getting rate quotes for exact coverage.

Learn how to lower your insurance rates

Lots of things are taken into consideration when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are obvious like your driving record, but some are less obvious like where you live or your financial responsibility.

Listed below are some of the most common factors that factor into your rates.

  • File policy claims and pay more – Insurance companies give most affordable rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. If you file claims often, you can expect increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for more catestrophic claims.
  • Auto insurance policy lapses increase premiums – Driving without insurance is a big no-no and as a result your rates will increase for letting your insurance expire. In addition to paying higher premiums, the inability to provide proof of insurance may result in fines or a revoked license.
  • More traffic means higher claims – Having an address in less populated areas is a positive aspect when it comes to auto insurance. Less people living in that area corresponds to lower accident rates in addition to fewer liability claims. Drivers who live in large cities have to deal with traffic congestion and higher rates of accident claims. More time on the road statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
  • Infrequent drivers can save – Driving more miles each year the higher the price you pay to insure it. A lot of insurance companies charge rates determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use can be on a lower rate level than those that get driven frequently. It’s a good idea to make sure your auto insurance coverage shows the correct usage, because improper ratings can cost you money. Having the wrong rating on your Forester is just wasting money.

When in doubt talk to an agent

When it comes to choosing the best insurance coverage, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions might help in determining whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

  • Am I better off with higher deductibles on my 2008 Subaru Forester?
  • Is my trailer covered?
  • Is my Subaru Forester covered if I use it for business?
  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
  • Is my 2008 Subaru Forester covered for flood damage?
  • If I drive on a suspended license am I covered?
  • How high should my medical payments coverage be?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Drivers who switch save $475 a year? Really?

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by State Farm, Geico and Progressive. They all seem to seem to make the promise that you’ll save big if you get a free auto insurance quote and switch to them.

How do they all claim to save you money? This is the trick they use.

Most companies have specific criteria for the type of customer that will be a good risk. For instance, a profitable risk profile may be over age 30, has a clean driving record, and insures a new vehicle. A driver that matches those criteria will get very good premium rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Potential customers who are not a match for those criteria must pay higher rates which translates to business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” can save as much as they claim. That’s the way companies can make the claims of big savings.

Because each company has a different risk profile, you should compare many company’s auto insurance rates. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Auto insurance 101

Learning about specific coverages of insurance helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find the normal coverages found on most insurance policies.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for expenses for doctor visits, prosthetic devices, ambulance fees, surgery and pain medications. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Subaru Forester.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Most of the time these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Coverage for collisions

This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Forester caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree and crashing into a building. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. You can also raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Auto liability

Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property by causing an accident. It protects YOU from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for things like structural damage, emergency aid and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as much as you can afford.

Comprehensive insurance

This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as a broken windshield, damage from flooding and fire damage. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Keep this in mind

When you buy auto insurance online, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. Too many times, an insured cut liability coverage limits only to regret they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

A few companies may not provide internet price quotes and usually these small, regional companies work with independent agents. Low-cost 2008 Subaru Forester insurance can be purchased on the web in addition to many insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection.

Additional auto insurance information is located at these links: