2012 Nissan Leaf Insurance Cost – 9 Tips to Save

Are you drained from trying to scrape together enough money to keep your car insured? You are in the same boat as many other consumers. Multiple insurance companies compete for your business, so it’s not easy to compare every company to get the best rates possible.

It’s a good habit to quote other rates occasionally because insurance prices are usually higher with each renewal. Just because you had the best price for Leaf insurance last year you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about insurance because you’re about to learn the tricks you need to know to lower your annual insurance bill.

If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use this information to find better prices and still get good coverage. Buying car insurance is quite easy. Vehicle owners just need to know the most efficient way to get comparison rates online.

Low cost insurance quotes online

Getting a more affordable price on 2012 Nissan Leaf insurance is pretty simple and can save money. You just need to spend a few minutes comparing rate quotes from online providers. You can get a good selection of rate quotes in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

  • The best way to get the best comparison quotes is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for every prospective company. A single form gets prices estimates from all major companies.
  • A less efficient way to shop for insurance online requires you to visit the website for every company you want to comare and go through the quote process again. For sake of this example, let’s assume you are doing a rate comparison from Nationwide, Esurance and Allstate. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time going to each site individually and repeatedly enter your information, which can get old fast.

    For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.

Take whichever approach you prefer, but be certain you are entering the same coverage limits and deductibles for every company. If you compare different coverage information you can’t possibly truly determine the lowest rate.

Truth in car insurance advertising

Drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that claim the best rates from companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Geico. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you change your coverage.

How does every company offer drivers better rates? Here is the trick they use.

All companies look for specific characteristics for a prospective insured that will be a good risk. An example of a desirable risk may be a married female, has other policies, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. Any driver who matches that profile will most likely get cheap rates and therefore will cut their rates if they switch.

Potential insureds who don’t measure up to these standards may be forced to pay a higher rate which leads to business not being written. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “everyone who quotes” will save that much if they switch. This is how insurance companies can claim big savings. Different companies use different criteria so you need to compare quotes as often as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict with any certainty which company will be your best fit.

Insurance rates and discounts

Insurance is not inexpensive, but there could be available discounts that you may not even know about. Certain credits will be shown at the time you complete a quote, but some need to be manually applied before being credited.

  • No Charge for an Accident – Not necessarily a discount, but certain companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear before the accident.
  • Theft Prevention System – Cars and trucks with anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and that can save you a little bit as well.
  • Discount for Home Ownership – Owning your own home or condo can earn you a little savings due to the fact that maintaining a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
  • Onboard Data Collection – Insureds who allow driving data collection to spy on driving patterns by using a small device installed in their vehicle like Drivewise from Allstate or In-Drive from State Farm could see a rate decrease if they exhibit good driving behavior.
  • Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more for Leaf insurance than drivers with accidents.
  • Employee of Federal Government – Active or retired federal employment could qualify for a slight premium decrease for Leaf insurance with a few insurance companies.
  • Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once rather than spreading payments over time you can avoid the installment charge.
  • Discount for Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Low Miles Discount – Low annual miles may enable drivers to earn cheaper rates.

One thing to note about discounts is that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Despite the fact that it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you’re out of luck.

Large insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts can be found below.

  • American Family has discounts for air bags, TimeAway discount, good student, bundled insurance, and accident-free.
  • State Farm may include discounts for multiple autos, student away at school, good student, accident-free, anti-theft, and passive restraint.
  • 21st Century includes discounts for anti-lock brakes, defensive driver, student driver, driver training, and automatic seat belts.
  • Travelers has savings for multi-car, driver training, multi-policy, home ownership, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
  • Geico may have discounts that include good student, daytime running lights, anti-theft, seat belt use, five-year accident-free, defensive driver, and military active duty.

Check with every prospective company what discounts are available to you. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered everywhere. If you would like to choose from a list of providers who offer insurance discounts, click this link.

Situations that may require an agent’s advice

When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage, there is no best way to insure your cars. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions may help highlight if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
  • Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
  • Can I get a multi-policy discount?
  • Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
  • How much can I save by bundling my policies?
  • At what point should I drop full coverage?
  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
  • Is a fancy paint job covered?
  • How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in my state?
  • Who is covered when they drive my 2012 Nissan Leaf?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, free and can help protect your family.

Auto insurance 101

Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverage types offered by insurance companies.

Coverage for liability

This coverage will cover damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy 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.

Liability coverage protects against things like structural damage, court costs, emergency aid, attorney fees and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Nissan Leaf.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.

Coverage for collisions

Collision insurance pays for damage to your Leaf caused by collision with another car or object. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things like sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a mailbox and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Comprehensive protection

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as theft, damage from a tornado or hurricane and hail damage. The highest amount 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.

Medical expense coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for short-term medical expenses for X-ray expenses, nursing services and pain medications. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Pennies from heaven

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are many occasions where an accident victim reduced full coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your objective should be to get the best coverage possible at the best cost and still be able to protect your assets.

We’ve covered many tips how you can lower your 2012 Nissan Leaf insurance premium rates. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get prices for, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the lowest premium rates come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Smaller companies may have significantly lower prices on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.

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