Feel like you have an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? You’re in good company because there are a lot of people just like you who feel imprisoned by their car insurance policy.
Insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive all claim big savings with fancy advertisements and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
Smart consumers take time to compare premium rates once or twice a year because car insurance rates fluctuate regularly. Just because you had the lowest rate for CLS-Class coverage last year you will most likely find a better price today. You can find a lot of wrong information about car insurance on the web, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some good information on how to slash your car insurance rates.
The majority of larger companies allow consumers to get insurance quotes on their websites. Getting online quotes doesn’t take a lot of time as all you need to do is type in the coverages you want into a form. After you submit the form their quoting system orders your credit score and driving record and generates a price based on these and other factors. This simplifies rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively complete many quote forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s necessary to have as many quotes as possible in order to get better insurance coverage pricing.
A less time-consuming method to find lower prices makes use of a single form to get prices from more than one company. It saves time, reduces the work, and makes online quotes much easier. Once the form is submitted, it is quoted and you can choose any one of the pricing results.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and purchase coverage. The entire process only takes a few minutes and may save quite a bit of money.
To find out what other companies charge, click here and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you replicate coverages and limits identical to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you’re receiving rate quotes using the same coverage and limits.
Insurance can be pricey, but you may be missing some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time you complete a quote, but once in a while a discount must be asked about before they will apply.
As a footnote on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.
Some of the insurance companies that may include many of the previously listed discounts include:
It’s a good idea to ask all companies you are considering how you can save money. Some credits might not apply in your area.
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is unique so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions can help discover if you would benefit from professional advice.
If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Knowing the specifics of your policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverages available from insurance companies.
Medical expense insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses such as surgery, EMT expenses, pain medications, prosthetic devices and nursing services. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like damage from flooding, a broken windshield and rock chips in glass. The highest amount your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage protection
This pays for damage to your CLS-Class from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for things like colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a ditch, rolling your car and damaging your car on a curb. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Coverage for liability
Liability coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people in an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for claims such as legal defense fees, repair costs for stationary objects and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
As you shop your coverage around, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are many occasions where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Some companies do not provide the ability to get quotes online and these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agencies. Budget-friendly auto insurance is possible online and from local insurance agents, so you need to compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates.
Additional auto insurance information can be read on the following sites: