No one in their right mind likes having to buy insurance, in particular when they could find lower prices if they just compared rates.
Insurance companies such as State Farm, Progressive and GEICO promote their brand names with TV and radio ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see past the corporate glitz and find the best price available.
Most larger insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO allow you to get prices on their websites. Getting quotes is possible for anyone as you simply enter your coverage information into the quote form. When complete, the quote system gets your driving record and credit report and generates a price. Online quotes makes it simple to compare prices but the time required to go to many different websites and complete many quote forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it is imperative to have as many quotes as possible in order to find the best price possible.
An easier way to lower your rates uses one simple form that analyzes rates from several different companies. This type of form saves time, reduces the work, and makes online shopping a little more enjoyable. Once the form is submitted, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the pricing results.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase coverage. This process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will know how your current rates stack up.
To find out what other companies charge, simply click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you type in as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you’re receiving comparison quotes for similar coverage.
Car insurance companies don’t always publicize all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find both the well known as well as the least known credits that may apply to you. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you could be paying more than you need to.
Discounts lower rates, but some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.
A list of companies and a selection of discounts are:
When comparing rates, check with every insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. Some credits might not be offered in your area. To choose insurance companies that offer discounts, follow this link.
When choosing the best auto insurance coverage, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if your insurance needs may require specific advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the things that are used to determine your insurance coverage rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that could result in big savings.
The list below includes some of the things used by your company to calculate prices.
Companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. They all make the point about how much you will save if you just switch your coverage. It sounds good, but how can they all have lower policy pricing? It’s all in the words they use.
All the different companies give the best rates for the type of insured that earns them the most money. For example, a preferred risk should be a married female, has few claims, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Anybody that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred car insurance rates and have a good chance to cut their rates if they switch.
Drivers who do not meet this stringent profile will be quoted more expensive rates which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The wording the ads use say “people that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings.
This really drives home the point why you need to compare free auto insurance quotes often. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.
Having a good grasp of auto insurance can be of help when determining which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Comprehensive insurance pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as hitting a bird, vandalism and hail damage. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for nursing services, hospital visits, prosthetic devices and ambulance fees. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
This provides protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your 2004 Buick Century.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Frequently these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision 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 coverage pays for claims like crashing into a ditch, colliding with another moving vehicle, rolling your car and hitting a mailbox. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
This will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 that translate to a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability can pay for claims like loss of income, bail bonds, attorney fees and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but you should buy as much as you can afford.
More affordable insurance coverage is available online as well as from independent agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not offer price quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers only sell through local independent agencies.
When shopping online for insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the lowest possible cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
To learn more, link through to these articles: