Compare 2016 MINI Cooper Car Insurance Quotes

Car insurance shoppers not familiar with comparing insurance coverage quotes on the internet are likely to find locating cheap auto insurance is harder than they anticipated.

Finding the best rates is not that difficult. Just about every vehicle owner who buys insurance stands a good chance to be able to reduce their rates. But car owners do need to learn the way companies compete online.

Ways to get insurance rate quotes

Effectively comparing insurance prices can be a daunting task if you aren’t aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

All the larger companies enroll in a system that enables customers to enter their coverage request one time, and at least one company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do quote requests for each company you want a rate for.

To use this form to compare rates click here to open in new window.

The one disadvantage to doing it this way is you can’t choose the insurers to receive prices from. If you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to compare rates, we have assembled a list of low cost insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

Whichever way you choose to compare rates, double check that you are using identical coverages and limits for each comparison quote. If your comparisons have different limits and deductibles on each one then you won’t be able to determine the lowest rate for your MINI Cooper. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages or limits could throw off the whole comparison. And when comparing insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies helps locate lower pricing.

Use discounts to get cheaper auto insurance quotes

Not too many consumers would say auto insurance is affordable, but discounts can save money and there are some available that many people don’t even know exist. A few discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be manually applied in order for you to get them.

  • Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military could mean lower prices.
  • Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a new policy prior to the expiration date on your current policy. It can save you around 10%.
  • Driving Data Discount – Policyholders that allow their company to look at driving patterns by using a telematics device such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system might get better premium rates as long as the data is positive.
  • Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories are rewarded with significantly better rates on auto insurance quote as compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple cars or trucks with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
  • Anti-lock Brake System – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-lock braking systems can stop better under adverse conditions and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • Accident Forgiveness Coverage – Not a discount per se, but a handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
  • Good Student Discount – Excelling in school can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
  • Low Mileage – Low annual miles could be rewarded with lower prices on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Driver’s Education for Students – Teen drivers should participate in a local driver’s education class in school.

Just know that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears it’s possible to get free car insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To find providers that provide some of the discounts listed above, click here to view.

Find lower-cost insurance with these tips

Lots of things are used in the calculation when you quote your car insurance policy. A few of the factors are predictable like a motor vehicle report, but some are more transparent like your vehicle usage or your financial responsibility.

The items below are some of the most rate-impacting factors used by your company to calculate prices.

  • Bad drivers pay high costs – Even one chargable violation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Good drivers pay lower auto insurance prices than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who have received multiple violations such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding are required to maintain a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
  • Rates may be higher where you live – Having an address in a small town can be a good thing when shopping for auto insurance. Fewer drivers on the road means fewer accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates. City drivers have traffic congestion and more severe claims. Higher commute times means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.
  • Poor credit score equals high rates – A driver’s credit score is a big factor in determining what you pay for insurance. People with good credit tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit scores. If your credit rating could use some work, you could be paying less to insure your 2016 MINI Cooper by spending a little time repairing your credit.
  • Raising comp and collision deductibles lowers costs – The deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if the claim is covered. Protection for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are a windshield broken by a bird, vandalism, or theft of your vehicle. The more damage repair cost you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance for Cooper coverage.
  • Long commutes cost more – The more miles you rack up on your MINI in a year the more you’ll pay to insure it. A lot of companies rate vehicles partially by how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that sit idle most of the time receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Incorrect rating for your Cooper may be costing you higher rates. It’s a smart idea to ensure your vehicle rating reflects the proper vehicle usage.
  • Insure your auto and home with one company – Lots of companies allow lower prices for people who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it’s still a good idea to shop around to guarantee you are still saving the most. Drivers may still save money by buying insurance from a different company.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different.

These are some specific questions may help you determine whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
  • Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?
  • Does my 2016 MINI Cooper need full coverage?
  • Does insurance cover damages from a DUI accident?
  • Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
  • How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
  • Do I need replacement cost coverage?

If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Insurance advertising tricks

Insurance coverage providers like State Farm and Allstate constantly bombard you with television, radio, and online ads. All the ads seem to make the promise that you can save just by switching your coverage to them. That’s great but how can every company offer drivers better rates? It’s all in the words they use.

All the different companies quote their best rates for the type of driver that will be a good risk. An example of this type of insured may need to be between 25 and 40, has a clear driving record, and has excellent credit. A customer that meets those criteria will get low premium rates and will probably save a lot if they switch.

Potential customers who fall short of those standards will see higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. The trick companies use is to say “drivers who switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” can get the lowest rates when switching. This is how companies can truthfully make claims like that. Because every company is different, it’s extremely important to get price quotes at each policy renewal. Because you cannot predict with any certainty which company will have better prices than you’re paying now.

Specifics of your insurance policy

Having a good grasp of your insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.

Insurance for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses like nursing services, rehabilitation expenses, surgery and doctor visits. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your MINI Cooper.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Liability coverages

Liability insurance provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage protects against things such as emergency aid, loss of income and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

This coverage covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like fire damage, vandalism, damage from getting keyed, a broken windshield and rock chips in glass. The highest amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Auto collision coverage

This covers damage to your Cooper resulting from a collision 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 coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter and scraping a guard rail. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

One last thing

Consumers who switch companies do it for many reasons like policy non-renewal, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, extreme rates for teen drivers or not issuing a premium refund. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new company is less work than it seems.

Cheaper car insurance is definitely available from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not provide the ability to get a quote online and these smaller companies sell through independent insurance agents.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In too many instances, drivers have reduced liability coverage limits and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to find the BEST coverage at the lowest possible cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

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