There isn’t anyone who is fond of buying insurance, in particular when their premiums are too high. Because you have many insurance companies to choose from, it can be impossible to pick a lower cost insurance provider.
Smart consumers take time to do price comparisons yearly due to the fact that insurance prices change frequently. Just because you had the best price for 9-5 coverage last year you will most likely find a better rate quote today. There is a lot of wrong information about insurance on the internet, but you can learn a lot of great tips on how to find affordable insurance.
Shopping for lower insurance coverage rates is a ton of work if you don’t utilize the easiest way. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with agents in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Many of the larger companies belong to an insurance system that enables customers to send in one quote, and each company then returns a price quote. This prevents consumers from doing form submissions for each company.
To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.
The one disadvantage to using this type of form is you are unable to specify which carriers to get quotes from. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare prices, we have a listing of the cheapest insurance coverage companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
The method you choose is up to you, but ensure you’re using nearly identical quote data with each company. If you compare mixed coverages you can’t possibly get a fair rate comparison.
Some insurers do not advertise every discount they offer in a way that’s easy to find, so below is a list some of the best known as well as the least known discounts that may be available.
A little disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky.
Some of the larger companies that may have some of the above discounts include:
Check with each insurance company which credits you are entitled to. Some discounts listed above might not be offered in your state.
When buying adequate coverage, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions could help you determine if you might need an agent’s assistance.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Having a good grasp of your insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the usual coverages available from insurance companies.
Auto liability insurance
Liability coverage can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for claims like medical services, pain and suffering and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as much as you can afford.
Medical expense insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for bills like prosthetic devices, ambulance fees, doctor visits and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Collision protection
This coverage pays for damage to your 9-5 resulting from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for things like hitting a mailbox, colliding with another moving vehicle, hitting a parking meter, colliding with a tree and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from flooding, falling objects, fire damage and hail damage. The most your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Saab 9-5.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.