Lower Your 1998 Ford Ranger Insurance Cost

Are you at wits end from wondering where the money will come from each month for auto insurance? You’re in the same situation as millions of other consumers. Many insurers compete for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare auto insurance companies to find the cheapest price

Smart consumers take time to quote other rates occasionally because insurance rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest premium rates for Ranger insurance a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower price today. You can search a lot of auto insurance on the web, but in a few minutes you can learn some good information on how to find cheap auto insurance.

If you have insurance now or need new coverage, you can use these techniques to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Buying car insurance is not that difficult. Vehicle owners only need an understanding of the tricks to get comparison rates online.

First Step: Get free insurance quotes

There are a lot of ways you can shop for insurance but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with agents in your area, or you could use online quotes to get pricing more quickly.

Many insurance companies enroll in a system where prospective buyers only type in their quote data once, and at least one company provides a quote for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each individual insurance company.

To find out what other companies charge click here (opens in new window).

The only downside to doing it this way is you are unable to specify the insurers you want pricing from. If you wish to select from a list of companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of low cost insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

Whichever way you choose to compare rates, make sure you use nearly identical information for each price quote. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be very difficult to decipher which rate is best.

Be skeptical of insurance coverage ads

Drivers constantly see and hear ads for insurance coverage savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all try to convey promises that you’ll save big if you just switch your insurance coverage policy to them.

Is it even possible that every company can say the same thing? You have to listen carefully.

Insurance coverage companies require specific criteria for the type of customer that will most likely be profitable. For example, a preferred risk should be married and over the age of 30, has never had a policy lapse, and has great credit. Any customer that matches those criteria will get the preferred premium rates and as a result will probably save a lot if they switch.

People who fall outside those criteria will probably have to pay higher premium rates and this results in the prospect going elsewhere. The ads say “customers that switch” not “all people who quote” save the amount stated. That’s why companies can truthfully make claims like that. Different companies use different criteria so you absolutely need to do a rate comparison at every renewal. You cannot predict which insurance coverage company will have the best prices for your profile.

Insurance Discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you complete an application, but occassionally some discounts must be manually applied before you will receive the discount. If you are not receiving all the discounts available, you are just wasting money.

  • Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for lower insurancerates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Good Grades Discount – Maintaining excellent grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Most companies allow this discount until age 25.
  • Employee of Federal Government – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could qualify for a slight premium decrease for Ranger insurance depending on your company.
  • Policy Bundle Discount – If you can bundle your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you will save up to 20% and get you cheaper insurance coverage.
  • More Vehicles More Savings – Drivers who insure more than one vehicle on the same insurance policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Seat Belt Discounts – Requiring all passengers to buckle up can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) off PIP or medical payments premium.
  • Telematics Devices – Drivers who agree to allow data collection to study driving patterns through the use of a telematics system such as State Farm’s In-Drive might get better premium rates if they show good driving skills.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. But all discounts should help lower your policy cost.

Companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:

  • The Hartford offers discounts for defensive driver, good student, anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, and driver training.
  • American Family has savings for early bird, good driver, bundled insurance, good student, air bags, defensive driver, and mySafetyValet.
  • Progressive includes discounts for continuous coverage, multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, online signing, and online quote discount.
  • Travelers has discounts for continuous insurance, multi-policy, home ownership, early quote, payment discounts, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
  • Farmers Insurance offers discounts including pay in full, youthful driver, multi-car, business and professional, and mature driver.
  • USAA policyholders can earn discounts including driver training, vehicle storage, new vehicle, defensive driver, multi-vehicle, annual mileage, and military installation.
  • Liberty Mutual discounts include hybrid vehicle, new move discount, newly married, multi-policy, and preferred payment discount.

If you need lower rates, check with each insurance company which discounts you qualify for. Discounts might not apply in your area.

Tailor your auto insurance coverage to you

When choosing the best auto insurance coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
  • Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
  • Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
  • Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
  • What are the financial responsibility laws in my state?
  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
  • Am I getting all the discounts available?
  • Is business property covered if stolen from my car?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance coverages 101

Having a good grasp of your policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are typical coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Collision insurance

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things such as colliding with a tree, sideswiping another vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Auto liability insurance

This coverage protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people. It protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage pays for things such as structural damage, loss of income, emergency aid and attorney fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Ford Ranger.

Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as theft, hitting a deer, falling objects and fire damage. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Medical expense coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses for ambulance fees, EMT expenses and X-ray expenses. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Be a money saver!

Cost effective 1998 Ford Ranger insurance is possible both online as well as from insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance coverage companies don’t offer online quoting and these smaller companies sell through independent insurance agencies.

We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to save on 1998 Ford Ranger insurance. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the biggest savings come from a small mutual company. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

While you’re price shopping online, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice full coverage only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the lowest possible cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

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