Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me when I say you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.
Numerous insurance companies battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurer and get the definite lowest rate possible.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. Buying car insurance is quite easy. But drivers must know how big insurance companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.
The quickest method to compare insurance rates in your area is to know the trick most larger insurance companies allow for online access to give you rate quotes. The only thing you need to do is provide a small amount of information including whether your vehicle is owned or leased, how much coverage you want, any included safety features, and how many miles driven. That rating data is automatically sent to all major companies and they respond with quotes instantly.
To check rates for your 1994 Toyota MR2, click here and complete the quick form.
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before being credited.
Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
Insurance companies that possibly offer some of the above discounts include:
Double check with each insurance company how you can save money. Some discounts may not apply in every state.
When choosing adequate coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions might point out whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Having a good grasp of your policy helps when choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. Auto insurance terms can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverage types found on most auto insurance policies.
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting 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 pays for things like driving through your garage door, hitting a mailbox, colliding with another moving vehicle and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Medical expense insurance – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for short-term medical expenses such as chiropractic care, dental work and ambulance fees. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers both the driver and occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Liability auto insurance – Liability insurance can cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers claims such as emergency aid, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and pain and suffering. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – This coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Normally these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as falling objects, damage from getting keyed, hail damage and vandalism. The maximum amount your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.