Save on 2012 Volkswagen Passat Insurance Rates

Want the cheapest car insurance rates for your Volkswagen Passat? Finding cheap car insurance can seem to be a challenge for drivers not familiar with buying insurance online. Drivers have so many options that it can easily be a lot of work to find cheaper car insurance rates.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Pricing the cheapest protection can be fairly easy. But drivers can benefit from knowing the way companies determine prices and use this information to your advantage.

Car insurance companies offer money-saving discounts

Buying car insurance is not cheap, but there could be available discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be applied at quote time, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit.

  • Federal Employees – Active or former government employment could cut as much as 10% off on Passat coverage depending on your company.
  • Club Memberships – Being a member of specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could earn you a nice discount on car insurance.
  • Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles are stolen with less frequency and can earn a small discount on your policy.
  • Early Signing – Some companies provide a discount for renewing your policy early. Ten percent is about the average savings.
  • Discount for Multiple Policies – If you can combine your auto and home policy and insure them both with the same insurance company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
  • Accident Forgiveness – This isn’t a discount exactly, but a handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you have no claims for a set time period.
  • Good Students Pay Less – Maintaining excellent grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
  • Savings for New Vehicles – Adding a new car to your policy can cost up to 25% less since newer models are generally safer.
  • Air Bag Discount – Options like air bags could see savings of up to 25% or more.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Despite the fact that it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

Auto insurance companies that possibly offer many of the previously listed discounts may include but are not limited to:

When comparing rates, check with all the companies what discounts are available to you. All car insurance discounts might not be offered on policies in your area. To choose insurers who offer online car insurance quotes, click this link.

How your Passat insurance prices are determined

One of the most helpful ways to save on insurance is to to have a grasp of the factors that come into play when calculating your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what impacts premium levels, this allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower insurance prices.

The following are a few of the “ingredients” utilized by car insurance companies to help set your prices.

  • Higher premiums for insurance lapses – Driving your car without having proper coverage can get your license suspended and any future policy may cost more because you let your insurance coverage expire. And not only will insurance be more expensive, not being able to provide proof of insurance could result in fines or a revoked license.
  • Discounts for auto and home policies – Most major insurance companies allow discounts to buyers who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. The amount of the discounts can be ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s in your best interest to check prices from other companies to guarantee you are still saving the most.There is a chance you can find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
  • Save money with responsible credit – Having a good credit score can be an important factor in determining what you pay. Insureds that have good credit tend to be better risks to insure than drivers with worse credit. If your credit rating can use some improvement, you could potentially save money when insuring your 2012 Volkswagen Passat if you improve your credit rating.
  • Do safer cars cost less to insure? – Safe vehicles tend to be cheaper to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety have better occupant injury protection and lower injury rates means your insurance company pays less passed on to you as lower rates. If your Volkswagen scored better than four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it may be receiving lower rates.

Do I just need basic coverages?

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s needs are different.

For example, these questions can aid in determining if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?
  • Do I need rental car coverage?
  • Does insurance cover tools stolen from my truck?
  • Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
  • Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
  • At what point should I drop full coverage?
  • Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
  • Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
  • How much liability do I need to cover my assets?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form.

Insurance advertising tricks

Popular auto insurance providers such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive regularly use television, radio, and online ads. They all seem to advertise the message about savings just by switching to their company. It sounds good, but how can they all give you a better price? It’s all in the wording.

Insurance companies have strict underwriting profiles for the driver that will generate a profit. An example of a desirable risk could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, owns their home, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Any new insured that fits those parameters receive the lowest rate quotes and will most likely cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who are not a match for this ideal profile will probably be forced to pay a higher rate with the end result being business going elsewhere. If you listen closely, the ads state “people that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims. Different companies use different criteria so it’s extremely important to quote coverage with many companies. Because you cannot predict with any certainty which company will have the best car insurance rates for your profile.

Specific coverage details

Understanding the coverages of your policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – This coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Volkswagen Passat.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.

Comprehensive coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as fire damage, damage from flooding and hail damage. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Collision coverages – Collision insurance covers damage to your Passat from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, driving through your garage door, hitting a parking meter, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a building. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Liability auto insurance – Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage protects against things like legal defense fees, repair costs for stationary objects and emergency aid. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Medical payments coverage and PIP – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for immediate expenses such as pain medications, surgery and X-ray expenses. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

Affordable insurance is out there

Insureds who switch companies do it for many reasons like delays in paying claims, high rates after DUI convictions, questionable increases in premium and even policy cancellation. Whatever your reason, switching auto insurance companies is actually quite simple.

In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can compare 2012 Volkswagen Passat insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of getting inexpensive car insurance. You may even find the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies.

When you buy car insurance online, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost.

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