2012 Volkswagen Passat Insurance Rates – 8 Tips for Best Quotes

Want lower insurance coverage rates for your Volkswagen Passat? Did you make the mistake of buying an expensive insurance coverage policy? Trust us when we tell you there are many drivers thinking the same thing. Companies like Geico, 21st Century and Progressive continually hit you with ad campaigns and it is difficult to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and take the time to shop coverage around.

Compare auto insurance rates

There are a lot of ways to shop for auto insurance, but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you could save time and use online quotes to get the quickest rates.

Many of the larger companies participate in an industry program where insurance shoppers send in one quote, and at least one company provides a quote. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company. To get comparison pricing now click here to start a free quote.

The only downside to pricing coverage this way is you don’t know exactly which companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to pick specific providers to request quotes from, we have a listing of auto insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but try to keep exactly the same coverages and limits for each price quote. If you enter differing limits it will be next to impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Volkswagen Passat.

Cheaper car insurance rates with discounts

Some providers don’t necessarily list their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we researched a few of the more well known and the more hidden discounts that you can inquire about if you buy auto insurance online.

  • Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off on Passat insurance with select insurance companies.
  • Homeowners Discount – Just being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance since owning and maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
  • Defensive Driver – Taking part in a defensive driving course may get you a small discount and also improve your driving technique.
  • Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less on Passat insurance as compared to drivers with claims.
  • Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance carriers reward you with a break if you buy some life insurance too.
  • Professional Organizations – Being a member of qualifying employment or professional organizations can get you a small discount on your next renewal.
  • Paperless Signup – A few insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy on your computer.
  • Bundled Policy Discount – If you combine your auto and home policies with one insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10 to 15 percent or more.

As is typical with insurance, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So despite the fact that it appears it’s possible to get free car insurance, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount should definitely cut your policy premium.

Companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are:

  • State Farm includes discounts for multiple autos, driver’s education, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good student, accident-free, and defensive driving training.
  • Nationwide has savings for defensive driving, multi-policy, easy pay, business or organization, accident-free, anti-theft, and good student.
  • Geico offers discounts for multi-policy, seat belt use, five-year accident-free, federal employee, daytime running lights, membership and employees, and anti-lock brakes.
  • AAA offers premium reductions for education and occupation, multi-policy, pay-in-full, anti-theft, multi-car, and good driver.
  • 21st Century may offer discounts for defensive driver, teen driver, air bags, automatic seat belts, driver training, theft prevention, and good student.
  • The Hartford policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, good student, bundle, air bag, defensive driver, driver training, and vehicle fuel type.

Before you buy a policy, ask each insurance company which credits you are entitled to. Savings might not apply in your area. To locate insurance companies that offer many of these discounts, click here to view.

Tailor your auto insurance coverage to you

When buying proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is unique so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions can help discover whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

  • Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
  • Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver?
  • Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
  • Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
  • Am I covered if I hit my neighbor’s mailbox?
  • What exactly is covered by my policy?
  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • What are the best liability limits?
  • What is the rate difference between pleasure use and commuting?

If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to 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. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.

Save $385 a year. For real?

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements that claim the lowest rates from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the ads make the point that drivers will save a bundle just by switching your insurance policy to them.

How is it possible that every company can give you a lower rate? It’s all in the wording.

All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that will generate a profit. For instance, this type of risk profile might be a female over age 40, has had continuous coverage, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications may get the lowest premium rates and will also save money with a new company.

Drivers who do not fit these criteria will see a higher premium which translates to the customer not buying. The wording the ads use say “drivers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that much. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings. Different companies use different criteria so drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which insurance company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Specifics of your insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the normal coverages offered by insurance companies.

Auto liability insurance

Liability coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 100/300/100 that translate to a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000.

Liability coverage protects against claims like pain and suffering, repair costs for stationary objects, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.

Collision coverage protection

This coverage covers damage to your Passat from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things such as colliding with a tree, hitting a parking meter, backing into a parked car and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Medical costs insurance

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for expenses such as dental work, X-ray expenses, prosthetic devices and ambulance fees. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

UM/UIM Coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from flooding, damage from getting keyed and theft. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Buy online or local, you save

When searching for the cheapest auto insurance quotes, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, an insured dropped full coverage to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to buy enough coverage at the best possible price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Budget-friendly car insurance is available both online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should compare rates from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies do not offer online rate quotes and these smaller companies prefer to sell through independent agents.

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