Have you had enough of trying to scrape together enough money to insure your Volkswagen every month? You are no different than millions of other drivers. Many auto insurance companies vie for your hard-earned dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the definite best rates possible.
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but companies offer discounts that can help lower your rates. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but less common discounts must be specifically requested before you get the savings.
Just know that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Despite the appearance that you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way. But all discounts will definitely lower your policy cost.
A few popular companies and some of the premium reductions they offer can be read below.
When getting a coverage quote, ask every prospective company which discounts you may be entitled to. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be available in your state. To see a list of providers that offer multiple discounts, click here.
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the things that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may result in big savings. Multiple criteria are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as traffic violations, but other criteria are more transparent like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.
Listed below are some of the factors used by insurance companies to determine rates.
When buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions may help you determine if your situation could use an agent’s help.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and you can get the answers you need.
Consumers can’t avoid all the ads that claim the cheapest prices from the likes of Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to advertise the message about saving some big amount if you change your coverage.
How is it possible that every company can cost less than your current company? Here is how they do it.
Companies have an ideal profile for the driver that will be a good risk. For example, a preferred risk may be between the ages of 30 and 50, carries full coverage, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver that fits those parameters will get the preferred prices and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.
Drivers who fall outside the “perfect” profile will probably have to pay more expensive rates which leads to the customer buying from someone else. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “people that switch” not “all people who quote” save the amount stated. This is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.
Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to do a price quote comparison at every renewal. It is just not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.
Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find typical coverage types found on most auto insurance policies.
Liability car insurance – This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property in an accident. It protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability insurance covers claims such as court costs, attorney fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and medical expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but consider buying as much as you can afford.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like vandalism, fire damage, falling objects and theft. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Collision – Collision coverage covers damage to your Golf from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things like colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree, sustaining damage from a pot hole and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Insurance for medical payments – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for ambulance fees, dental work, surgery, doctor visits and rehabilitation expenses. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Cost effective 2011 Volkswagen Golf insurance can be found online and from local agencies, and you should compare rates from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent agents.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are too many instances where an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at the best price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how to save on 2011 Volkswagen Golf insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get car insurance rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding the cheapest car insurance. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and GEICO.
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