Save on 1996 BMW 3 Series Insurance Rates

Looking for the cheapest insurance rates for your BMW 3 Series? Tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other drivers.

Companies like State Farm, Farmers Insurance, Geico and Allstate constantly bombard you with ads and it can be hard to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It’s a great practice to take a look at other company’s rates yearly due to the fact that insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the best deal on 3 Series insurance on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because you’re about to learn how to use the internet to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

Impacting insurance rates for a BMW 3 Series

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.

  • Never go without insurance – Not having insurance can get your license suspended and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance lapse. Not only will you pay more, but not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may need to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with your state motor vehicle department.
  • Theft deterrents lower rates – Owning a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent auto theft.
  • The more you drive the more you pay – Driving more miles in a year’s time the higher your rate. Most insurance companies rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Double check that your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money. If your policy improperly rates your 3 Series may be costing you.
  • Your location is important – Being located in less populated areas is a positive aspect when buying auto insurance. Fewer people means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Drivers who live in large cities tend to have more traffic problems and much longer commute distances. Longer commute distances translates into higher accident risk.
  • Older drivers pay less – Teen drivers are statistically proven to get distracted easily in a vehicle so auto insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.
  • Protect yourself with liability coverage – Liability insurance is the protection in the event that you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
  • Your credit rating is important – Your credit history is a huge factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit history is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your 1996 BMW 3 Series by improving your credit score. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.

Best discounts on BMW 3 Series coverage

Car insurance companies don’t always list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

  • Student in College – Youth drivers who live away from home without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
  • Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
  • Organization Discounts – Participating in a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount on your policy on 3 Series insurance.
  • Senior Discount – Mature drivers may be able to get a small decrease in premiums on 3 Series insurance.
  • New Car Discount – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new cars.
  • Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

For a list of providers with the best insurance coverage discounts, follow this link.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Companies like Progressive, Allstate and Geico continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the ads have a common claim of big savings after switching your coverage to them. How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer might be profiled as a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who fall outside these standards must pay a more expensive rate which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. This illustrates why you absolutely need to compare as many rates as you can. It’s just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Tailor your coverage to you

When buying coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions could help you determine if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
  • Why do I need rental car insurance?
  • Should I bundle my homeowners policy with my auto?
  • Do I need an umbrella policy?
  • Are my friends covered when driving my car?
  • What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
  • Are rock chip repairs covered?
  • Should I file a claim if it’s only slightly more than my deductible?
  • Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?

If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

Insurance coverages explained

Learning about specific coverages of insurance helps when choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the usual coverages offered by insurance companies.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as hitting a deer, hail damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and hitting a bird. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for immediate expenses for things like prosthetic devices, EMT expenses, pain medications and doctor visits. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Liability insurance

This coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: 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 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage protects against things such as structural damage, pain and suffering, repair costs for stationary objects and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

UM/UIM Coverage

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your BMW 3 Series.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Collision insurance

Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers things such as crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Do the work, save more money

When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Affordable 1996 BMW 3 Series insurance is possible on the web and with local insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance coverage companies do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

You just read many ideas to reduce insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. These companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate and Progressive.

Helpful learning opportunities