Have you had enough of robbing Peter to pay Paul to insure your Suzuki every month? You are in the same boat as the majority of other car owners. Drivers have so many auto insurance companies to choose from, and even though it’s nice to have a selection, it can be more challenging to find a good deal.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.
All major car insurance companies give insurance quotes online. Getting online quotes doesn’t take a lot of time as you simply enter the amount of coverage you want into a form. When the form is submitted, their system will order reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price based on these factors. This helps simplify price comparisons, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it is imperative to get many rate quotes in order to find the lowest car insurance rates.
The better way to compare rates
The smarter way to find cheaper rates is to use a quote form to get prices from several companies at one time. It saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online shopping a little more enjoyable. After sending the form, your coverage is rated and you are able to buy any of the quotes returned.
If a lower price is quoted, it’s easy to complete the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process only takes a few minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
If you want to compare rates now, simply click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you replicate the coverage information exactly as shown on your declarations page. Doing this assures you will get an apples-to-apples comparison based on similar coverages.
Drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of State Farm, Allstate and Geico. All the ads say the same thing of big savings if you move your coverage to them.
How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.
All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that makes them money. For example, a preferred risk could be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who are not a match for the “perfect” profile must pay higher premiums and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently claim big savings.
This illustrates why it is so important to get quotes from several different companies. It’s impossible to know which company will fit your personal profile best.
Car insurance can cost a lot, but discounts can save money and there are some available to help offset the cost. Some discounts apply automatically at the time you complete a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for before you get the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will reduce your premiums.
To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts, click here.
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you’re not sure about those 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, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Knowing the specifics of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are typical coverages found on most auto insurance policies.
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Suzuki Esteem.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like a broken windshield, hitting a deer, damage from flooding and hail damage. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Esteem resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers things like backing into a parked car, hitting a mailbox, crashing into a ditch and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Liability coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. 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 policy limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against claims like attorney fees, loss of income, structural damage, emergency aid and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying as much as you can afford.
Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses for things like ambulance fees, dental work, pain medications, chiropractic care and X-ray expenses. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price.
Cheaper 1998 Suzuki Esteem insurance is possible online and with local insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
We just presented some good ideas how to shop for insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.