Did a good deal turn into an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us, there are a lot of people just like you who feel imprisoned by their car insurance policy.
Due to the abundance of car insurance companies to choose from, it can be hard to pick the most cost effective car insurance company.
Smart consumers take time to compare premium rates occasionally because insurance prices change regularly. Even if you think you had the best rates for Forenza insurance two years ago other companies may now be cheaper. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the easiest ways to find great coverage at a great price.
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can take hours if you aren’t aware of the most efficient way. You can spend your afternoon driving to agents in your area, or you could save time and use the web to maximize your effort.
Many insurance companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each company returns a rated price based on that data. This saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions to each company.
To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).
The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you can’t choose the providers you want pricing from. So if you want to choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we have a page of the cheapest auto insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.
You can use whichever method you prefer to find lower rates, just ensure you’re using nearly identical coverage data for each quote you get. If the quotes have different liability limits it will be nearly impossible to decipher which rate is best. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages or limits can make a big difference in price. And when comparison shopping, making a lot of price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates. Not every company does online quotes, so you should also compare quotes from them, too.
Companies offering auto insurance don’t list the complete list of policy discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down a few of the more common and the harder-to-find credits that may apply to you.
A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works.
To see a list of insurance companies who offer insurance coverage discounts, click this link.
When choosing coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area.
Understanding the coverages of your policy can help you determine the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are typical coverages offered by insurance companies.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Suzuki Forenza.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Most of the time these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive auto coverage – This covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as hitting a bird, hitting a deer and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The most a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses like prosthetic devices, funeral costs, EMT expenses, pain medications and dental work. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Auto liability – Liability insurance will cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property by causing an accident. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects, emergency aid and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy higher limits if possible.
Collision coverages – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers claims like driving through your garage door, damaging your car on a curb and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.