Cheap 2016 Scion tC Insurance Rates

Finding more affordable auto insurance could be kind of frustrating for people who are new to comparing prices online. Drivers have so many agents and companies to choose from that it can be a real hassle to locate the lowest premium rates.

Smart consumers take time to compare premium rates before your policy renews since prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Just because you found the lowest price for tC insurance at your last renewal you will most likely find a better rate quote today. There is a lot of wrong information about auto insurance on the internet, but we’re going to give you some great ideas on how to lower your auto insurance bill.

Seven tips to get more affordable insurance prices

It’s important that you understand some of the factors that are used to determine car insurance rates. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this enables informed choices that can help you get lower car insurance prices.

The itemized list below are most of the major factors that factor into rates.

  • Lower rates with continuous coverage – Having a lapse in insurance coverage is a fast way to pay more for car insurance. Not only will you pay higher rates, not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
  • Buy as much liability as you can afford – The liability coverage on your policy is the protection if ever you are determined to be liable for damages from an accident. It will provide you with a defense in court up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.
  • Location can impact price – Having an address in areas with lower population may provide you with better prices if you are looking for the lowest rates. Lower population means fewer accidents. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with more aggressive driving styles and longer commute times. Higher commute times means a statistically higher chance of an accident.
  • Occupation impacts premiums – Jobs like military generals, executives and emergency personnel usually pay the highest rates because of high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, jobs such as actors, students and the unemployed have lower than average premiums for tC insurance.
  • Policy add-ons add up – Insurance companies have many additional extra coverages that sound like a good idea at the time but may not be useful. Coverage for things like personal injury protection, death and dismemberment, and extra equipment coverage are probably not needed. These coverages may sound good at first, but if you’ve never needed them in the past consider taking them off your policy.
  • Deter vehicle theft – Selecting a car model with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft deterrent systems like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart car theft.
  • Safety first – Safer cars get lower rates. Vehicles built for safety reduce occupant injuries and fewer serious injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and lower rates for you.

How to get insurance coverage rate quotes

There are a variety of methods to shop for insurance coverage, and some are easier and takes less work. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with agents in your area, or you could save time and use the web to get prices fast.

Most of the larger companies take part in a program where prospective buyers send in one quote, and every company returns a rated price determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quote forms to each individual insurance coverage company.

To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).

The only downside to pricing coverage this way is you don’t know exactly which carriers to get quotes from. So if you prefer to choose specific providers to request quotes from, we have assembled a list of companies who write insurance coverage in your area. Click here to view list.

You can use whichever method you prefer to find lower rates, just be sure to compare the same quote data for every company. If each company quotes unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be nearly impossible to determine which rate is truly the best. Even a minor difference in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. And when comparing insurance coverage rates, know that making a lot of price comparisons helps improve the odds of finding more affordable insurance.

Insurance coverage buyers beware

Respected companies like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm regularly use ads on television and other media. All the companies have a common claim that drivers will save a bundle if you switch your policy. How do they all offer you a better deal? You have to listen carefully.

Different companies have specific criteria for the right customer they prefer to insure. For example, a profitable risk profile might be over the age of 40, has a low-risk occupation, and has a high credit rating. Anyone that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest car insurance rates and therefore will cut their rates if they switch.

Drivers who do not match the requirements will see more expensive rates which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” can get the lowest rates when switching. That is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

Because of this risk profiling, it is so important to compare rate quotes every year. It is impossible to guess with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Get lower-cost insurance coverage quotes with discounts

Insurance coverage is expensive, but you might find some hidden discounts to help bring down the price. Many discounts should be triggered at the time you complete a quote, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied before you get the savings.

  • Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Distant College Student Discount – College-age children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
  • Student Discount for Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to sucessfully take a drivers education course if it’s offered in school.
  • Multi-policy Discount – If you can bundle your homeowners and auto insurance with the same company you could get a discount of up to 20% and get you affordable car insurance.
  • Passenger Safety Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags may qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
  • Save over 55 – Mature drivers may receive a discount up to 10% for tC insurance.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Onboard Data Collection – Insureds who allow their insurance company to monitor vehicle usage by using a small device installed in their vehicle like Allstate’s Drivewise could possibly reduce rates as long as they are good drivers.

Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

A list of insurance coverage companies and their offered discounts can be read below.

  • Farm Bureau discounts include good student, renewal discount, driver training, multi-vehicle, safe driver, and youthful driver.
  • State Farm includes discounts for safe vehicle, multiple autos, accident-free, defensive driving training, multiple policy, and Drive Safe & Save.
  • Progressive offers discounts for good student, homeowner, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and continuous coverage.
  • Allstate may have discounts that include new car, resident student, farm vehicle, anti-theft, and senior citizen.
  • Nationwide offers discounts including easy pay, accident-free, defensive driving, good student, business or organization, and multi-policy.
  • MetLife has discounts for good driver, multi-policy, good student, accident-free, and defensive driver.

Before purchasing a policy, check with each company or agent how many discounts you can get. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be offered everywhere.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique.

These are some specific questions might point out if you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my 2016 Scion tC is totaled?
  • Does car insurance cover theft of personal property?
  • Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
  • Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
  • Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Does insurance cover damages from a DUI accident?

If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Car insurance coverages for a 2016 Scion tC

Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Collision insurance

Collision coverage covers damage to your tC caused by collision with another car or object. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with a tree, colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a ditch and scraping a guard rail. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for short-term medical expenses for surgery, nursing services and ambulance fees. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as vandalism, damage from flooding, falling objects and a broken windshield. The most a insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

UM/UIM Coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Scion tC.

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 is important protection for you and your family. Usually these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Liability car insurance

This can cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people in an accident. It protects YOU from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability insurance covers claims such as loss of income, legal defense fees and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Take this to the bank

When getting car insurance quotes online, make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price.

More affordable insurance coverage can be sourced on the web in addition to many insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance coverage companies may not provide rates over the internet and most of the time these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through independent insurance agencies.

Consumers change insurance companies for many reasons like extreme rates for teen drivers, poor customer service, denial of a claim or delays in responding to claim requests. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new company is less work than it seems.

For more information, link through to these articles: