Are you irritated from sacrificing each month for car insurance? You are no different than most other consumers.
Numerous car insurance companies battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurance company to find the absolute lowest cost out there.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. Choosing the best insurance company for you is easy if you know what you’re doing. But consumers must know how the larger insurance companies price online insurance and take advantage of how the system works.
There are several ways to compare car insurance prices and some are less time-consuming than others. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you can stay home and use the web to get the quickest rates.
Most of the best insurance companies belong to a marketplace that enables customers to complete one form, and each company provides a quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each company.
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The only drawback to comparing rates this way is you cannot specify the providers you will receive quotes from. If you prefer to choose from a list of companies to receive pricing from, we have a listing of car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but make darn sure you compare the same coverages and limits for every quote you compare. If the quotes have different coverage information you can’t possibly determine the lowest rate for your BMW 1 Series. Slightly different insurance coverages or limits may cause a big price difference. Just keep in mind that having more price comparisons helps increase your odds of locating a better price. Some smaller insurers to not give online price quotes, so it’s recommended that you also compare prices on coverage from those companies, too.
Auto insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but you may be missing some discounts to help offset the cost. A few discounts will automatically apply at quote time, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.
Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way.
To choose insurers with discount rates, follow this link.
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every insured’s situation is different so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether you might need professional guidance.
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Knowing the specifics of your policy helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage
This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your BMW 1 Series.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Usually these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Collision protection
Collision coverage pays for damage to your 1 Series caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against things like hitting a mailbox, crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail, backing into a parked car and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Comprehensive coverages
Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like damage from flooding, hitting a bird and a broken windshield. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Coverage for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for short-term medical expenses like rehabilitation expenses, funeral costs and doctor visits. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover you and your occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Auto liability insurance
Liability insurance can cover damage that occurs to other people or property. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage pays for things like court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects and legal defense fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.
We’ve covered many ways to lower your 2009 BMW 1 Series insurance premium rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding inexpensive insurance coverage. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a small local company. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Progressive or GEICO.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are many occasions where an insured cut liability coverage limits and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
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