2011 Ford Escape Insurance Cost – 10 Tips to Save

Looking for lower insurance rates for your Ford Escape? Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced insurance? Believe me, you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.

With so many options, it can be challenging to choose the right insurance company.

You need to check insurance prices occasionally because prices tend to go up over time. Just because you found the lowest rates on Escape coverage on your last policy a different company probably has better rates today. Don’t believe everything you read about insurance online but I’m going to show you the best ways to find cheap insurance.

More discounts equal less premium

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply at quote time, but less common discounts must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit.

  • Driver’s Ed – Require your teen driver to enroll in driver’s education in school.
  • 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums on Escape coverage.
  • More Vehicles More Savings – Insuring multiple cars or trucks on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
  • Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It’s a savings of about 10%.
  • Sign Online – Certain companies will give a small break simply for signing digitally online.
  • Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
  • Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
  • No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less as compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
  • Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will cut the cost of coverage.

Insurance companies who might offer these discounts are:

Double check with every prospective company which discounts you may be entitled to. Some discounts might not apply in your state.

Finding Car Insurance

There are a lot of ways to compare car insurance quotes, but one way is easier and takes less work. You could waste a few hours talking about coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could use online quoting to quickly compare rates.

Most of the best insurance companies take part in a program where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each participating company can provide price quotes determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests for each company.

To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here (opens in new window).

The one disadvantage to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which insurance companies you will receive quotes from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies to compare, we put together a list of car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.

Whichever method you choose, make absolute certain that you use exactly the same coverage limits for each price quote. If you compare mixed coverages then you won’t be able to decipher which rate is best. Having just a slight variation in limits could mean much higher rates. And when quoting car insurance, remember that having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting a better price.

It’s not one size fits all

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions can aid in determining if you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • What is UM/UIM insurance?
  • Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in my state?
  • How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
  • At what point should I drop full coverage?
  • Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
  • Are rock chip repairs covered?
  • I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Car insurance coverage considerations

Learning about specific coverages of car insurance can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find the usual coverages found on the average car insurance policy.

Coverage for collisions

This will pay to fix damage to your Escape resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as damaging your car on a curb, backing into a parked car, crashing into a ditch and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Coverage for liability

Liability insurance can cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Occasionally you may see a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for claims like attorney fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, structural damage and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for expenses like pain medications, prosthetic devices, nursing services, rehabilitation expenses and X-ray expenses. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive insurance

This covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as falling objects, damage from flooding, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and vandalism. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Ford Escape.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Usually these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Don’t throw your cash in the trash

When shopping online for insurance coverage, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed full coverage and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

Budget-conscious 2011 Ford Escape insurance is possible from both online companies and with local insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

Additional insurance coverage information can be read below: