No sane person looks forward to paying premiums for auto insurance, especially when they could lower their rates if they shopped around. Big companies like Allstate, Progressive and GEICO all claim big savings with ad campaigns and it is challenging if not impossible to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and do the work needed to find the best deal.
Many different elements are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. A few of the factors are predictable such as traffic violations, but some are not quite as obvious like your vehicle usage or how safe your car is.Part of the insurance buying process is learning the factors that aid in calculating the rates you pay for insurance. If you understand what determines base rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that may result in big savings.
All the larger auto insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate provide coverage price quotes online. Getting online rates is easy for anyone as you simply type in the coverages you want as detailed in the form. Once entered, the quote system will order your driving record and credit report and generates pricing information. This makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively type in your information is a big time waster. But it’s necessary to compare as many rates as possible if you want to get lower prices.
Keep reading for an easier way to compare prices
A quicker way to lower your rates is to use a quote form to obtain quotes from several companies at one time. This type of form saves time, eliminates repetitive work, and makes quoting online a lot less work. Immediately after you send the form, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the pricing results.
If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and purchase coverage. It takes 15 minutes at the most and could lower your rates considerably.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you complete the form with deductibles and limits exactly as they are listed on your policy. This guarantees you’re receiving a rate comparison for similar coverage.
Some companies don’t necessarily list all possible discounts very clearly, so we break down some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts you could be receiving when you buy insurance online. If you do not check that you are getting every discount possible, you’re paying more than you need to.
As is typical with insurance, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it’s just not the way it works.
To locate providers that offer the discounts shown above, click here.
When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is unique so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether you may require specific advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.
Having a good grasp of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the normal coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.
Liability
This can cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people in an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against claims like emergency aid, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, legal defense fees and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Collision protection
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like hitting a parking meter, sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a ditch, colliding with another moving vehicle and rolling your car. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
UM/UIM Coverage
This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Pontiac Bonneville.
Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Medical costs insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for things like ambulance fees, X-ray expenses, pain medications and doctor visits. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like damage from getting keyed, hitting a bird, hitting a deer, a broken windshield and falling objects. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Lower-priced insurance coverage can be sourced on the web as well as from insurance agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these smaller companies prefer to sell through independent agencies.
When searching for low cost insurance quotes, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many cases, an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest cost, but do not skimp to save money.