View 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Car Insurance Cost

Do you get exhausted from being strong-armed to pay high insurance coverage rates every month? You are in the same boat as the majority of other consumers.

With so many insurance companies to choose from, it’s difficult to find the right insurance company.

It’s important to quote other rates before your next renewal because insurance coverage rates are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the best rate for Explorer Sport Trac insurance last year you will most likely find a better price today. Forget all the misinformation about insurance coverage because you’re about to find out the easiest way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Basically, anyone who buys car insurance will be able to save money. But consumers need to have an understanding of the methods companies use to price online insurance and take advantage of how the system works.

How insurance companies determine Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance prices

When buying insurance coverage it’s important to understand some of the elements that help calculate your policy premiums. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that may reward you with better insurance coverage rates.

  • Gals tend to be lower risk – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. It does not mean males are worse at driving than females. They both cause accidents in similar percentages, but the males have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving.
  • Insurance rates in urban areas – Being located in less populated areas has it’s advantages when shopping for auto insurance. Residents of big cities have congested traffic and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area corresponds to lower accident rates in addition to fewer liability claims.
  • An active claims history can cost more – If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you should expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Companies give better rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. Your car insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
  • Liability limits should be high – Your insurance coverage policy’s liability coverage is the protection in the event that you are ruled to be at fault for an accident. It will provide legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
  • Get better rates if married – Your spouse actually saves money on your insurance coverage bill. Having a significant other translates into being more mature and responsible and insurance companies reward insureds because married couples file fewer claims.
  • Always keep your insurance coverage in force – Having a gap between insurance policy dates can be a guaranteed way to increase your rates. Not only will you pay higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance will get you a revoked license or a big fine. You may then be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
  • Cars with good safety ratings means cheaper premiums – Vehicles with high crash test scores cost less to insure. The safest vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and fewer serious injuries means less claims paid and more competitive rates for policyholders.
  • Extra coverages could be costing you – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles you can purchase on your insurance coverage policy. Coverages like rental car coverage, accident forgiveness, and Farm Bureau memberships may be wasting your money. You may think they are a good idea when buying your policy, but if they’re wasting money consider taking them off your policy.

First Step: Get free car insurance quotes

The are a couple different ways to compare rate quotes from companies that offer car insurance in your state. By far the easiest way to compare rates is to jump online and get quotes. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.

  1. Experts agree that the best way to find low rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This quick form keeps you from doing separate quotation requests for each company. In just a few minutes this one form compares rates from many national carriers.
  2. A slightly less efficient method to shop for car insurance online is to manually visit the website of each company and fill out their own quote form. For example, let’s assume you are doing a rate comparison from Liberty Mutual, Safeco and Allstate. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website and enter your policy data, which is not fast way to get rate quotes.

    For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.

  3. The least efficient method to compare rates to different agent offices. Quoting online eliminates the middleman unless you have a need for the extra assistance of an agent trained in personal lines coverage. It is possible with some companies price shop your coverage online and have a local agent actually service the policy.

You can use whichever method you prefer to find lower rates, just do your best to use exactly the same coverage limits with each company. If you use different values for each quote it will be nearly impossible to determine which rate is truly the best. Just slight variations in limits can result in a big premium difference. It’s important to know that more quotes helps you find the best offered rates. Not every company provides online quotes, so it’s important to compare quotes from them, too.

Big names are not always cheapest

Allstate and Progressive regularly use ads on TV and radio. They all state the claim about how much you will save if you move your car insurance policy to them. How do they all lower your prices? It’s all in the wording.

Many companies look for specific characteristics for the right customer that will generate a profit. An example of a profitable insured could possibly be a married male, has no prior claims, and chooses high deductibles. A propective insured that matches those criteria is entitled to the best price and will also save money with a new company.

Insureds who fall short of the requirements will be quoted higher premium rates and ends up with the customer not purchasing. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. This is how companies can advertise the way they do. Different companies use different criteria so drivers should get price quotes at each policy renewal. Because without a comparison, you cannot know which company will have the lowest rates.

Insurance coverage discounts are available to reduce your rates

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there may be some discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. Some discounts apply automatically when you complete an application, but some discounts are required to be asked about before they will apply.

  • Student Discounts – Being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up to age 25.
  • Buy New and Save – Insuring a new car can save you some money since newer vehicles are generally safer.
  • Safety Course Discount – Completing a course that instructs on driving safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
  • Policy Bundle Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you could save 10% to 20% off each policy.
  • Distant Student – who live away from home at college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
  • Low Mileage – Low annual miles could earn discounted premium rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Telematics Discount – Drivers who agree to allow their insurance company to scrutinize their driving habits by using a telematic data system such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system might get better premium rates as long as they are good drivers.
  • Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government may qualify for a discount when you quote insurance for Explorer Sport Trac insurance depending on your company.
  • Multi-car Discount – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.

Don’t be shocked that most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though the math looks like you can get free auto insurance, nobody gets a free ride.

A few companies that possibly offer these discounts include:

When quoting, ask every prospective company to apply every possible discount. Discounts may not be available in every state. To choose companies who offer cheap insurance coverage quotes, follow this link.

Everyone needs different insurance coverages

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions might help in determining if you would benefit from professional advice.

  • Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
  • Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
  • Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
  • Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
  • Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
  • What is an SR-22 filing?
  • Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
  • How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in my state?
  • Am I better off with higher deductibles on my 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
  • Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?

If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk 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.

Insurance coverage considerations

Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverages found on the average insurance policy.

Comprehensive insurance

This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as theft, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from flooding. The highest amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses for pain medications, hospital visits, surgery and X-ray expenses. They are 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 and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac.

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. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.

Liability coverages

This coverage will cover damage that occurs to other people or property in an accident. It protects you against other people’s claims. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as medical expenses, attorney fees, repair costs for stationary objects and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

Coverage for collisions

This coverage pays for damage to your Explorer Sport Trac from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers claims like hitting a parking meter, colliding with another moving vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Be a smart shopper

Lower-priced auto insurance can be found from both online companies and from local agencies, so get free insurance quotes from both of them to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not offer rates over the internet and many times these small, regional companies prefer to sell through independent insurance agencies.

In this article, we presented many ways to reduce 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance premium rates online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. They may have significantly lower prices on certain market segments than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

Even more information can be read in the articles below: