Searching for better car insurance rates for your Lincoln MKZ? Having to pay for high-priced car insurance can dry up your family’s budget and force you to tighten up your finances. Doing a rate comparison is free and is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill.
Lots of auto insurance companies contend for your business, so it’s not easy to compare every insurer and uncover the absolute best price available.
If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using this strategy. Buying car insurance is easy if you know what you’re doing. But consumers should learn the way insurance companies price online insurance and apply this information to your search.
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that help determine your premiums. If you have a feel for what influences your rates, this enables you to make decisions that could help you find better insurance rates.
Listed below are some of the most rate-impacting factors used by companies to determine your rate level.
Not too many consumers would say auto insurance is affordable, but you may be missing some discounts that you may not even know about. Some discounts will apply when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for before you will receive the discount.
Don’t be shocked that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
Larger auto insurance companies and their offered discounts are included below.
Before buying, ask every insurance company which discounts they offer. Some discounts might not apply in every state. If you would like to see a list of companies with the best discounts, click here to view.
Companies like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm seem to constantly run ads on TV and radio. All the ads make the point about savings if you get a free auto insurance quote and switch your policy. It sounds good, but how can they all give you a better price? This is how they do it.
Companies give the cheapest rates for the driver that earns them the highest profit. For example, a driver they prefer might have to be married and over the age of 30, carries high limits, and drives a safe vehicle. Any driver who fits that profile may get the lowest car insurance rates and most likely will save some money.
Drivers who do not fit these stringent criteria may be forced to pay higher rates and ends up with business going elsewhere. If you pay attention, the ads say “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much when switching. That’s the way companies can advertise the savings. Different companies use different criteria so drivers should quote coverage with many companies. It’s not possible to predict which company will provide the lowest rates.
When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Understanding the coverages of your policy helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your 2013 Lincoln MKZ.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.
Medical payments coverage and PIP – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for expenses for nursing services, surgery, pain medications, prosthetic devices and dental work. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive coverage – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers 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 can pay for things like damage from a tornado or hurricane, falling objects, damage from getting keyed, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and a broken windshield. The most your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your MKZ resulting from a collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers claims such as hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole, sideswiping another vehicle and damaging your car on a curb. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Liability coverage – This coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000.
Liability can pay for things like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, medical expenses, attorney fees, bail bonds and funeral expenses. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but buy as much as you can afford.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Cheaper insurance coverage can be found online and from local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not offer the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies sell through local independent agencies.
More detailed insurance coverage information is located at these sites: