No normal person is fond of buying insurance, especially when they are aware that the cost is way too high. Multiple insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every company to find the best price available.
If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to find better prices and still get good coverage. Choosing the best insurance company for you is easy if you know what you’re doing. Vehicle owners just need to understand the proper way to compare prices over the internet.
Effectively comparing car insurance prices can take hours if you aren’t aware of the easiest way. You could waste a few hours driving to insurance agencies in your area, or you could use the web to get rates in a matter of minutes.
The majority of car insurance companies take part in a program that enables customers to enter their policy data once, and each participating company can give them a price based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests for every car insurance company.
To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.
The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you can’t choose which companies to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we have a page of car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
You can choose any of those ways to find more affodable coverage, but ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverages and limits on every quote you get. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be impossible to decipher which rate is best.
Lots of factors are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving record, but some are less apparent such as your marital status or your vehicle rating.
The itemized list below are some of the factors that factor into rates.
Some providers don’t list the entire discount list in an easy-to-find place, so below is a list both the well known as well as the least known credits available to bring down your rates.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut 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, that’s just not realistic.
Larger car insurance companies and their offered discounts are outlined below.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each insurance company the best way to save money. A few discounts may not be available in every state. To locate companies with discount car insurance rates, click this link.
When it comes to choosing the best insurance coverage, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.
Collision protection
Collision insurance covers damage to your Bravada from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers claims like damaging your car on a curb, crashing into a ditch and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Medical expense insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses like dental work, nursing services, surgery, ambulance fees and rehabilitation expenses. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like a broken windshield, vandalism, falling objects, rock chips in glass and hitting a bird. The most your auto insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability car insurance
This can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability insurance covers things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, pain and suffering and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Frequently these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
We’ve covered quite a bit of information on how to get a better price on 2001 Oldsmobile Bravada insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher your chance of finding cheaper auto insurance. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, an insured cut liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage at the lowest possible cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.