There isn’t anyone who rejoices having to buy auto insurance, especially knowing their premiums are too high.
Because there are so many companies and agents to choose from, it can be hard to choose the lowest cost insurance company.
It’s a great practice to get comparison quotes yearly because auto insurance prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you had the lowest price on SL-Class coverage a few years ago you can probably find a better rate now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the only way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
Multiple criteria are used when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, although some other factors are more obscure such as whether you are married or your commute time.
To find more affordable quotes, there are a couple of ways to obtain and compare prices from auto insurance companies in your area. The best way to compare rates is to use the internet to compare rates. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
Without a doubt, the easiest way consumers can analyze rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This style of form keeps you from doing boring form submissions for each price estimate. A single form will return price quotes from multiple low-cost companies.
Another way to analyze rates consists of visiting the website for each individual company and repeat the quote process. For instance, let’s say you want to compare prices for Allstate, Liberty Mutual and GMAC. You would have to spend time on each company’s site and repeatedly enter your information, which is not fast way to get rate quotes.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in your area, click here.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just be certain you are entering equivalent coverages with each company. If you compare higher or lower deductibles it will be next to impossible to truly determine the lowest rate. Even a minor difference in coverages may result in a large different in cost. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that comparing more quotes gives you a better chance of getting the best price. Not every company allows you to get rate quotes online, so it’s recommended that you also compare price estimates from them, too.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there may be some discounts that you may not even know about. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at quote time, but a few must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount.
Just know that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Despite the appearance that you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you’re out of luck.
To see a list of insurers with discount car insurance rates, click here to view.
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs may require specific advice.
If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Knowing the specifics of a auto insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Coverage for liability – Liability insurance can cover damage that occurs to people or other property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000.
Liability insurance covers things such as court costs, structural damage and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.
Medical expense insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses such as pain medications, doctor visits, prosthetic devices, funeral costs and chiropractic care. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Collision – This pays for damage to your SL-Class caused by collision with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with a tree and colliding with another moving vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – This coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a broken windshield, damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from getting keyed and hitting a deer. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.
Affordable 2015 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class insurance can be sourced from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at the lowest possible cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
More detailed car insurance information is available in these articles: