Getting affordable auto insurance on the web can appear to be impossible for people who are new to comparing and buying auto insurance online. With such a large number of agents and insurers to choose from, how can anyone have a chance to compare them all to find cheaper auto insurance rates?
There are a lot of ways to compare auto insurance quotes, but one way is more efficient than others. You can waste a few hours (or days) driving to agents in your area, or you could use online quoting to maximize your effort.
The majority of car insurance companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers enter their policy data once, and every company returns a competitive quote determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating form submissions for every auto insurance company.
To compare rates now click here to start a free quote.
The one disadvantage to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which providers to get pricing from. If you would rather choose specific providers to compare, we have a listing of the cheapest auto insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
Take whichever approach you prefer, but compare exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If you compare different liability limits it will be very difficult to make a fair comparison for your Ford Fusion. Just a small difference in coverage limits may result in large price differences. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that comparing more company’s prices will increase your chances of finding the best rates. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide rate quotes online, so it’s necessary to compare price estimates from the smaller companies as well.
Some insurers do not advertise the complete list of policy discounts very well, so the list below contains a few of the more common and also the more inconspicuous credits available to lower your premiums when you buy car insurance online.
Just know that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.
A few of the larger companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:
If you need affordable car insurance quotes, ask every company which credits you are entitled to. Some credits may not apply to policyholders in your area. If you would like to see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts, click here to view.
When buying coverage, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Every situation is different.
For instance, these questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from professional advice.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form.
Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Comprehensive insurance – This pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as hitting a deer, a broken windshield, theft, vandalism and falling objects. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Auto liability insurance – This can cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 which means a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against things like medical services, emergency aid and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This coverage provides protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Ford Fusion.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses for things like chiropractic care, prosthetic devices and EMT expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision coverage – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against things such as colliding with another moving vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole, backing into a parked car and damaging your car on a curb. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.