Compare 2010 Toyota Prius Car Insurance Quotes

I really doubt anyone likes having to buy auto insurance, particularly when the cost is too high. Many insurers vie for your hard-earned dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurers to find the lowest cost out there.

You should take the time to compare rates once or twice a year because prices tend to go up over time. If you had the best rate for Prius insurance at your last renewal you will most likely find a better premium rate today. You’ll find a ton of advice on auto insurance online, but in this article, you’re going to get some of the best ways to buy auto insurance cheaper.

Choices you make can impact your insurance rates

Part of the insurance buying process is learning some of the factors that are used to determine the price you pay for insurance. If you have a feel for what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that may reward you with lower rates. Many things are considered when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable like a motor vehicle report, but some are less apparent like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating.

The list below includes some of the items insurance companies consider when setting your rate level.

  • Urban areas may pay more – Living in less populated areas is a good thing when buying insurance. People in densly populated areas tend to have more road rage incidents and much longer commute distances. Fewer people means fewer accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates.
  • Insurance prices and driver gender – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. It does not mean men are worse drivers. Men and women cause accidents at a similar rate, but men cause more damage. Men also receive more major tickets like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving.
  • Cheaper insurance rates for prior coverage – Driving without insurance coverage in place can get you a ticket and companies may charge more for letting your coverage lapse. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage might get you fines and jail time.
  • If you don’t need it don’t buy it – There are many extra bells and whistles that sound like a good idea at the time if you don’t pay attention. Coverage for things like rental car reimbursement, towing, and extra life insurance coverage may be wasting your money. You may think they are a good idea when discussing your needs, but if you have no use for them remove them and pocket the money.

How to get free auto insurance quotes online

The majority of larger companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive allow consumers to get price estimates on the web. Doing online price comparisons is fairly straightforward as you just type in as requested by the quote form. Once entered, the quote system will obtain your driving record and credit report and generates pricing information based on these factors. Being able to quote online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time it takes to visit several different sites and type in the same information can get tiresome after awhile. But it’s also necessary to get many rate quotes if you want to get the lowest possible prices on auto insurance.

Quote rates the easy way

A more efficient way to compare auto insurance pricing is to use a quote form that gets price quotes from many companies. It saves time, reduces the work, and makes rate comparisons much simpler. Once the form is submitted, it is rated and you can choose any or none of the quote results. If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. This process takes 15 minutes at the most and may result in a nice savings.

To get comparison pricing now, click here to open in a new tab and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you input the insurance coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This helps ensure you are getting a fair comparison based on similar coverages.

Insurance coverage policy discounts you can’t miss

Companies offering auto insurance do not advertise all possible discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below gives a summary of a few of the more common and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using when you buy insurance coverage online. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you could be paying more than you need to.

  • Discounts for Responsible Drivers – Insureds without accidents can save up to 40% or more on their insurance coverage quote for Prius insurance than their less cautious counterparts.
  • Savings for New Vehicles – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less because new model year vehicles keep occupants safer.
  • Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of 20% or more.
  • Full Payment Discount – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you may have a lower total premium amount.
  • Early Switch Discount – A few companies give discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. You can save around 10% with this discount.
  • Multi-line Discount – Larger companies have a lower rate if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
  • Student in College – Any of your kids who are enrolled in higher education away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
  • Multi-car Discount – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple vehicles on the same insurance coverage policy can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Organization Discounts – Having an affiliation with certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for insurance coverage.

Policy discounts save money, but some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.

Large insurance coverage companies and a partial list of their discounts can be read below.

  • State Farm may have discounts that include good driver, good student, multiple policy, safe vehicle, driver’s education, multiple autos, and anti-theft.
  • Geico includes discounts for federal employee, good student, emergency military deployment, multi-policy, anti-theft, and membership and employees.
  • Liberty Mutual has savings for good student, multi-policy, teen driver discount, newly retired, newly married, new graduate, and exclusive group savings.
  • The Hartford offers discounts for air bag, bundle, anti-theft, good student, and vehicle fuel type.
  • MetLife has discounts for defensive driver, claim-free, good driver, good student, and multi-policy.
  • Progressive discounts include multi-vehicle, online signing, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and good student.

It’s a good idea to ask each company or agent what discounts are available to you. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be offered in every state. To view companies with discount rates, click this link.

Insurance agents can help

When buying proper insurance coverage, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your situation could use an agent’s help.

  • How much liability coverage do I need in my state?
  • Why do I need rental car insurance?
  • Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
  • How can I force my company to pay a claim?
  • If I drive on a suspended license am I covered?
  • Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
  • Are rental cars covered under my policy?
  • Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?
  • How do I insure my teen driver?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this 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.

Insurance policy specifics

Learning about specific coverages of insurance can be of help when determining which coverages you need for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverages found on most insurance policies.

Liability coverages

Liability insurance can cover damage that occurs to a person or their property in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 50/100/50 which stand for a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability insurance covers claims like legal defense fees, attorney fees, structural damage and bail bonds. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Comprehensive auto coverage

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as damage from getting keyed, hail damage, falling objects, hitting a bird and fire damage. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your 2010 Toyota Prius.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for expenses such as dental work, ambulance fees, nursing services, pain medications and EMT expenses. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Auto collision coverage

This coverage pays for damage to your Prius resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for claims like colliding with a tree, sustaining damage from a pot hole and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also increase the deductible to bring the cost down.

More comparisons equals lower rates

We just covered some good ideas how to lower your 2010 Toyota Prius insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest insurance coverage. You may even discover the biggest savings come from a small local company. They may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

Some insurance companies don’t offer price quotes online and usually these small, regional companies only sell coverage through local independent agencies. Lower-priced 2010 Toyota Prius insurance can be sourced on the web and from local agencies, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money.

Additional auto insurance information is located at these links: