Are you a victim of an underperforming, overpriced insurance coverage policy? Say no more because you’re not alone. With consumers having so many insurance companies to choose from, it can be hard to choose the most affordable insurance company.
It’s smart to take a look at other company’s rates yearly because insurance rates trend upward over time. If you had the best premium rates on ALPINA B7 coverage at your last renewal the chances are good that you can find a lower price today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about insurance coverage because you’re about to learn one of the easiest ways to get good coverage at a lower rate.
Shopping for the best car insurance coverage can be fairly easy. If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to shop for the lowest rates and still get good coverage. Drivers just need to learn the tricks to compare rates online.
Car insurance companies do not list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the best known and the harder-to-find discounts that may be available.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free auto insurance policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
To see a list of companies who offer cheap auto insurance quotes, click here to view.
It’s important that you understand the different types of things that are used to determine your premiums. If you have some idea of what impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that may result in cheaper rates. Multiple criteria are part of the equation when you quote your car insurance policy. Some are obvious like an MVR report, but some are less apparent such as your credit history or how financially stable you are.
When it comes to buying the best insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions may help you determine whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.
Understanding the coverages of insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find the usual coverages offered by insurance companies.
Medical expense insurance
Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses such as EMT expenses, nursing services and X-ray expenses. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like fire damage, vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision protection
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like scraping a guard rail, driving through your garage door and colliding with another moving vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family. Normally these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Liability insurance
Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Some companies may use a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage pays for claims like medical expenses, medical services, pain and suffering, funeral expenses and bail bonds. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Cheaper auto insurance is available both online and from local agencies, so get free car insurance quotes from both of them in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies don’t offer rate quotes online and these smaller providers work with independent agents.
When getting car insurance quotes online, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best possible price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
More detailed auto insurance information is available by following these links: