Cheaper 2018 Toyota Prius Insurance Cost

Want lower auto insurance rates for your Toyota Prius? Have you fallen victim to overpriced auto insurance? Trust us, there are many people just like you.

Many auto insurance companies compete for your hard-earned dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a company and get the best coverage at the cheapest price

Why you might pay inflated rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that can help you get big savings.

The items below are some of the most common factors used by insurance companies to determine your prices.

  • Stay claim-free and save – If you file a lot of claims you can expect higher rates. Insurance companies give most affordable rates to policyholders who are not frequent claim filers. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of claims that pose a financial burden.
  • Amount of liability coverage – The liability coverage on your policy provides coverage if a jury decides you are liable for physical damage or personal injury to other. Your liability coverage provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.
  • More people means more accidents – Having an address in a rural area has it’s advantages when shopping for auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with much more traffic and longer commute times. Fewer drivers means less chance of accidents in addition to lower liability claims
  • Raise comp and collision deductibles and save – Physical damage insurance, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, covers damage that occurs to your Toyota. Examples of some claims that would be covered would be a broken side mirror, hitting a deer, or theft. Your deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if the claim is covered. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your insurance will be on Prius coverage.
  • Premiums also based on gender – Statistics have proven females are less aggressive when driving. However, don’t assume that males are worse at driving than females. Women and men are responsible for auto accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species get into accidents with more damage. Men also statistically get higher numbers of serious violations like reckless driving and DUI.
  • Bad credit hurts insurance costs – Your credit history is a big factor in determining premium rates. People with very high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records as compared to drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your 2018 Toyota Prius if you improve your credit rating.
  • Remove unneeded add-on coverages – There are many additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying but may not be useful. Coverages for roadside assistance, towing, and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but if they’re wasting money remove them and pocket the money.
  • Prevent theft and save – Owning a car that has a built-in theft deterrent system can save you some money. Theft prevention features like OnStar found on GM vehicles, advanced tracking like LoJack, and vehicle immobilization systems can help prevent your car from being stolen.

Compare free auto insurance quotes

To find the best auto insurance rates, there are several ways of comparing rate quotes from many different insurance companies. The best method to comparison shop is to get quotes online. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

  1. The single most time-saving way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This method saves time by eliminating separate forms to each individual auto insurance company. A single, simple form will get you price quotes from several companies.
  2. A more time consuming way to get quotes online is spending the time to visit each company’s website and get a separate price quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want to compare Auto-Owners, Liberty Mutual and Allstate. You would be required to go to each individual site and repeatedly type in your coverage information, which can get old fast.

    To view a list of companies in your area, click here.

How you compare quotes is your choice, just be sure to compare equivalent coverage limits and deductibles for every company. If your comparisons have mixed coverages you can’t possibly make an equal comparison. Even a minor difference in insurance coverages or limits could throw off the whole comparison. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that getting more free quotes helps you find the best rates. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide price estimates online, so you need to compare price estimates from the smaller companies as well.

Insurance advertising tricks

Popular car insurance providers such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. All the companies make the point about savings if you switch your car insurance coverage to their company. But how can every company charge you less for auto insurance?

Most companies provide the lowest rates for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk may be a female over age 40, has a low-risk occupation, and has a high credit rating. Any driver who matches that profile will probably get cheap prices and will save money with a new company.

Drivers who don’t meet those standards may be required to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The wording the ads use say “customers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much when switching. That is how insurance companies can lure you into getting a quote. That is why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. You cannot predict with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Take policy discounts and save

Car insurance is expensive, but you might be missing out on some discounts to help offset the cost. Some of these disounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but a few must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount.

  • Discounts for New Vehicles – Insuring a new car can save you some money since newer models are generally safer.
  • Accident Waiver – but a handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates so long as you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
  • Homeowners Pay Less – Just being a homeowner can earn you a little savings due to the fact that maintaining a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
  • Senior Citizens – Mature drivers are able to get a slight reduction on a auto insurance quote on Prius coverage.
  • Accident Free – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims pay much less as opposed to bad drivers.
  • Sign Online – A few insurance companies provide a small discount for buying your policy on their website.
  • Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies and insure them both with the same insurance company they may give you a discount of nearly 15% which can help you find cheaper auto insurance.

Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.

Popular car insurance companies and their possible discounts are shown below.

  • Progressive may offer discounts for online quote discount, online signing, continuous coverage, good student, homeowner, and multi-policy.
  • SAFECO has savings for multi-car, anti-theft, drive less, teen safe driver, teen safety rewards, anti-lock brakes, and safe driver.
  • American Family offers discounts for air bags, bundled insurance, multi-vehicle, early bird, accident-free, good driver, and defensive driver.
  • MetLife includes discounts for good student, multi-policy, accident-free, claim-free, good driver, and defensive driver.
  • GEICO may have discounts that include anti-theft, multi-vehicle, federal employee, daytime running lights, air bags, and good student.
  • The Hartford discounts include air bag, anti-theft, driver training, defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, bundle, and good student.

When quoting, ask all the companies to apply every possible discount. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policies in your area. To locate companies that offer many of these discounts, click here to view.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When it comes to choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions can help discover whether you would benefit from professional advice.

  • Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
  • What is PIP insurance?
  • I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
  • Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?
  • Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Auto insurance coverage information

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy 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 found on the average car insurance policy.

Comprehensive protection

This 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 things like fire damage, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hail damage, damage from flooding and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Toyota Prius.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Collision insurance

This covers damage to your Prius resulting from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers claims such as crashing into a building, hitting a mailbox, backing into a parked car, driving through your garage door and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability insurance

Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability insurance covers claims like medical expenses, court costs, repair costs for stationary objects, structural damage and emergency aid. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Medical expense coverage

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for immediate expenses for nursing services, chiropractic care, funeral costs and doctor visits. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers 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 but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Feed the piggy bank

There are still a few companies who don’t offer the ability to get a quote online small insurance companies prefer to sell through independent insurance agencies. Budget-friendly car insurance can be found online and from local agencies, and you should compare rates from both to have the best chance of lowering rates.

When searching for cheap auto insurance quotes, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. Too many times, an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford and still be able to protect your assets.

You just read quite a bit of information on how to compare 2018 Toyota Prius insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of getting cheaper auto insurance. Consumers could even find that the best price on car insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

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