Looking for lower insurance rates for your Kia Optima? Are you kicking yourself for buying an overpriced insurance policy? Believe me, there are many drivers thinking the same thing.
Big companies like Allstate, Progressive and Geico continually hit you with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to see past the corporate glitz and find the best price available.
It’s smart to do price comparisons once or twice a year because prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you think you had the lowest price for Optima insurance two years ago you can probably find a better rate now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the quickest ways to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
Effectively comparing car insurance prices can be challenging if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day driving to insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Most car insurance companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers only type in their quote data once, and each company then gives them pricing. This saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions to each company. To compare rates using this form now click here (opens in new window).
The one disadvantage to using this type of form is you don’t know exactly which insurance companies you will receive quotes from. If you wish to select specific providers to compare rates, we have a page of car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
You can use whichever method you prefer to find lower rates, just make sure you are using the same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one you can’t possibly make a fair comparison for your Kia Optima. Slightly different coverages could throw off the whole comparison. Keep in mind that making a lot of price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting the best price. Not every company allows you to get rate quotes online, so you also need to get rates from them, too.
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always publicize all possible discounts very well, so below is a list some of the more common and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance. If you do not check that you are getting every discount you qualify for, you could be paying more than you need to.
As a footnote on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, that’s just not realistic. Any qualifying discounts will cut your overall premium however.
Some companies that may include most of these discounts include:
When quoting, ask every prospective company to give you their best rates. Some credits may not apply to policies in your state. To see car insurance companies who offer online car insurance quotes, click here.
When it comes to buying the best auto insurance coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions might point out whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Having a good grasp of insurance can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverages found on the average insurance policy.
Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for things like hospital visits, nursing services, funeral costs, chiropractic care and ambulance fees. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Liability coverage can cover damage that occurs to a person or their property. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see values of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against things such as medical services, repair costs for stationary objects and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.
This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.
This coverage covers damage to your Optima resulting from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers claims such as backing into a parked car, colliding with another moving vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things like hitting a deer, rock chips in glass, a broken windshield and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.