Lower Your 2015 Toyota Prius Insurance Quotes

Consumers have many options when looking for low-cost Toyota Prius insurance. They can either waste time driving around trying to get quotes or utilize the internet to get rate quotes.

There are more efficient ways to shop for insurance coverage so you’re going to learn the absolute fastest way to get price quotes for a Toyota and obtain the best price possible from both online companies and local agents.

Seven factors that influence insurance premiums

Part of the insurance coverage buying process is learning some of the elements that play a part in calculating insurance coverage rates. If you have some idea of what controls the rates you pay, this enables informed choices that could help you find lower insurance coverage prices. Many things are considered when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, although others are not as apparent such as whether you are married or your financial responsibility.

Shown below are a few of the things companies use to determine your premiums.

  • Do you work long hours in a tough occupation? – Did you know your insurance coverage rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupational choices like lawyers, architects and medical professionals have the highest average rates due to job stress and long work days. Conversely, jobs such as professors, historians and homemakers pay the least for Prius coverage.
  • High premiums for teen drivers – Teen drivers tend to be more careless when driving with friends so they pay higher insurance coverage rates. If you’ve ever had to add a inexperienced driver to your insurance coverage policy can cause a big jump in price. Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.
  • Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Lots of insurance companies will give better rates to buyers who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. The discount can be ten or even fifteen percent. Even with this discount applied, it’s always a smart idea to compare other insurance prices to ensure the best deal. Consumers may find better rates even if you have your coverage with different companies
  • Low credit score equals high rates – Having a good credit score can be an important factor in calculating your premium rate. People that have excellent credit scores tend to file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit score is lower than you’d like, you could save money insuring your 2015 Toyota Prius if you improve your credit rating.
  • Policy add-ons add up – There are a ton of add-on coverages that may not really be needed if you aren’t diligent. Things like coverage for rental cars, towing, and extra life insurance coverage may not be needed and are just wasting money. These may sound like a good investment initially, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so consider taking them off your policy.
  • How many miles do you drive? – The more miles you rack up on your Toyota in a year’s time the higher the price you pay to insure it. Most insurance companies calculate rates based on their usage. Cars not used for work or commuting receive better premium rates than those that get driven frequently. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Prius may be costing you higher rates. Ask your agent if your insurance coverage coverage reflects the correct driver usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Five star NHTSA crash test rating saves money – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and fewer serious injuries translates directly to fewer claims and lower rates for you. If your Toyota Prius earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website you may qualify for a discount.

Get cheap car insurance rates with discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list the entire discount list in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below contains a few of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts that you can inquire about if you buy car insurance online.

  • Life Insurance – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn lower premium rates if you buy auto and life insurance together.
  • Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront as opposed to paying monthly you may have a lower total premium amount.
  • Passenger Safety Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings as much as 30%.
  • Sign Early and Save – A few car insurance companies give discounts for switching companies early. You may see this discount when you get car insurance quotes online.
  • Discounts for Government Workers – Active or former government employment may reduce rates when you quote car insurance for Prius coverage depending on your car insurance provider.
  • Clubs and Organizations – Joining specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could trigger savings when getting a car insurance quote.

One last thing about discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. If you do the math and it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, that’s just not realistic.

A list of car insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.

  • 21st Century may have discounts that include 55 and older, driver training, air bags, anti-lock brakes, and theft prevention.
  • State Farm has discounts for anti-theft, multiple autos, passive restraint, safe vehicle, and multiple policy.
  • AAA offers premium reductions for education and occupation, multi-policy, good driver, multi-car, AAA membership discount, and good student.
  • Liberty Mutual offers discounts for safety features, exclusive group savings, preferred payment discount, hybrid vehicle, good student, and multi-policy.
  • Progressive includes discounts for multi-vehicle, online quote discount, homeowner, good student, and multi-policy.

It’s a good idea to ask all the companies to apply every possible discount. All car insurance discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state. To see insurers who offer free car insurance quotes, click this link.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When buying adequate coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Every insured’s situation is different.

For instance, these questions could help you determine whether you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
  • What is UM/UIM insurance?
  • Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
  • Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
  • Where can I find high-risk insurance?
  • Is pleasure use cheaper than using my 2015 Toyota Prius to commute?
  • Will filing a claim cost me more?
  • How can I force my company to pay a claim?

If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Specific coverages for a Toyota Prius

Knowing the specifics of insurance helps when choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Insurance for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses for things like doctor visits, hospital visits and pain medications. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. It covers you and your occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

Coverage for liability

Liability insurance will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 that translate to a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for claims such as medical expenses, attorney fees, medical services and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Collision coverage protection

Collision coverage covers damage to your Prius from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as scraping a guard rail, crashing into a ditch, backing into a parked car, colliding with another moving vehicle and damaging your car on a curb. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Toyota Prius.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, fire damage, hitting a deer, rock chips in glass and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Affordable insurance is out there

Insureds switch companies for any number of reasons including denial of a claim, poor customer service, policy non-renewal or even lack of trust in their agent. Whatever your reason, switching companies is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

When shopping online for car insurance, it’s very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, an insured cut liability coverage limits and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

We just covered a lot of ways to compare 2015 Toyota Prius insurance rates online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get auto insurance rates for, the better likelihood of getting inexpensive car insurance. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates are with some of the smallest insurance companies.

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