No one in their right mind likes buying insurance coverage, in particular when they could find better prices if they shop around.
Insurance companies such as State Farm and Geico all claim big savings, bombarding you with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and do the work needed to find the best deal.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Nevertheless, drivers benefit from understanding how insurance companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.
Most companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico allow you to get pricing from their websites. Doing online price comparisons is easy for anyone as you just type in your coverage preferences into the quote form. Once entered, the quote system automatically orders your credit score and driving record and returns a price quote based on these and other factors. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the time required to go to each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it’s necessary to compare as many rates as possible in order to find the lowest car insurance rates.
A more efficient way to find cheaper rates utilizes a single form that gets prices from more than one company. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes rate comparisons much simpler. After your information is entered, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the price quotes you receive.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. It takes less than 15 minutes and can result in significant savings.
To compare rates now, simply click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you copy exactly as they are listed on your policy. Doing this guarantees you will have a rate comparison based on identical coverages.
State Farm, Allstate and Geico seem to constantly run television, radio, and online ads. All the ads advertise the message that you can save if you just switch to them. How can each company offer you a better deal? Here is how they do it.
Most companies provide the lowest rates for the right customer that makes them money. For example, this type of driver should be over the age of 50, carries high limits, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. A customer that fits those parameters will qualify for the lowest car insurance rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.
Consumers who fall outside these criteria may be required to pay more expensive rates and business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can make those statements.
This emphasizes why you absolutely need to get insurance quotes as often as possible. Because you cannot predict which insurance companies will be your best fit.
Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list all possible discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following list contains a few of the more common and also the more inconspicuous credits available to lower your premiums when you buy insurance online.
A little disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
Car insurance companies that may offer policyholders most of the discounts above include:
When comparing rates, check with every company to give you their best rates. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be available to policyholders everywhere.
When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Every situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions could help you determine whether your personal situation may require specific advice.
If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.
Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like damage from a tornado or hurricane, a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, falling objects and hitting a deer. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverage protection
This pays for damage to your XC90 resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage pays for things like colliding with another moving vehicle, sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a building and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability coverage
Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers claims like court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but you should buy higher limits if possible.
Medical expense insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for expenses for rehabilitation expenses, chiropractic care, ambulance fees, prosthetic devices and funeral costs. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Volvo XC90.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Usually these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Budget-conscious 2013 Volvo XC90 insurance is available online as well as from independent agents, so you need to quote insurance with both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not offer online rate quotes and usually these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.
You just learned a lot of ways to reduce 2013 Volvo XC90 insurance car insurance rates online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest car insurance rates come from the least-expected company. These companies can often provide lower premium rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
More detailed insurance coverage information is available by following these links: