Lower Your 2017 Ford C-Max Energi Insurance Rates

Want the cheapest auto insurance rates for your Ford C-Max Energi? Tired of scraping nickels together to buy auto insurance? Your situation is no different than many other drivers. Many car insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurance company to discover the definitive best rate

If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you can follow these tips to get lower rates while maintaining coverages. Buying car insurance is easy if you know what you’re doing. Drivers only need to know how to compare company rates on the web.

Buy car insurance online

Lowering your 2017 Ford C-Max Energi car insurance rates is actually quite simple. The only thing you need to do is invest a few minutes comparing rates from different insurance companies. This can be accomplished by following the guidelines below.

  1. The single most time-saving way to find low rates would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for multiple quote forms for every car insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form gets you price quotes from several companies.
  2. A slightly less efficient method to find lower rates requires you to visit each individual company website to complete a price quote. For example, we’ll assume you are doing a rate comparison from Auto-Owners, Geico and Farmers. You would be required to spend time going to each site individually and type in your information over and over, which is why the first method is more popular. For a handy list of car insurance company links in your area, click here.

The approach you take is up to you, just try to use exactly the same coverages for every company. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits you will not be able to determine which company has the best rates.

Don’t miss these money-saving discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise the complete list of policy discounts very well, so the list below contains both the well known and the harder-to-find credits that may apply to you.

  • No Claim Discounts – Insureds with no claims or accidents have much lower rates compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company they may give you a discount of as much as 10 to 15 percent.
  • Resident Student – Older children who live away from home to go to college and do not have a car could get you a discount.
  • Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices prevent vehicle theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Pay Early and Save – By making one initial payment instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.

One last thing about discounts, most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Even though the math looks like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts can be found below.

  • Progressive includes discounts for online signing, continuous coverage, multi-policy, homeowner, and good student.
  • Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for youthful driver, electronic funds transfer, pay in full, alternative fuel, teen driver, and multi-car.
  • Farm Bureau may include discounts for multi-vehicle, safe driver, renewal discount, youthful driver, 55 and retired, and driver training.
  • State Farm offers discounts including student away at school, multiple policy, driver’s education, anti-theft, and passive restraint.
  • Geico discounts include five-year accident-free, air bags, federal employee, anti-theft, military active duty, anti-lock brakes, and multi-policy.
  • SAFECO may offer discounts for anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, teen safe driver, drive less, accident prevention training, bundle discounts, and safe driver.
  • Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include safety features, multi-policy, new graduate, new vehicle discount, and new move discount.

When getting free auto insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each insurance company to apply every possible discount. Savings might not be offered on policies in your state. If you would like to view insurance companies who offer cheap insurance quotes, follow this link.

Do I need special coverages?

When choosing the best insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.

  • Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
  • Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
  • What is no-fault insurance?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Does coverage extend to Mexico or Canada?
  • Is a blown tire covered by insurance?
  • Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
  • Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
  • I have a DUI can I still get coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Insurance premium influencing factors

The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at some of the things that go into determining your premiums. If you know what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that could help you find big savings. Many things are considered when you get a price on insurance. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but some are more transparent like your continuous coverage or your financial responsibility.

  • Get a ticket, pay higher prices – Careful drivers have lower premiums as compared to careless drivers. Even one driving citation can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers who have gotten dangerous violations such as reckless driving or DUI may be required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state’s licensing department in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Gaps in coverage mean higher insurance rates – Driving any period of time without insurance is against the law and as a result your rates will increase for letting your coverage have a gap. In addition to paying higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance may earn you fines and jail time.
  • Five star IIHS safety rating saves money – Cars with high safety ratings cost less to insure. The safest vehicles reduce occupant injuries and any reduction in injury severity means your insurance company pays less which can mean better rates for you. If your Ford is rated at a minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website it may cost less to insure.
  • An active insurance claims history can cost you more – Insurance companies provide better rates to drivers who only file infrequent claims. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance coverage is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • How many miles do you drive? – The higher the miles on your Ford every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. A lot of companies charge to insure your cars based upon how much you drive. Vehicles that are left in the garage can get a lower rate than those that get driven frequently. Verify your insurance policy is rated on the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money. Having an incorrect usage rating on your C-Max Energi can cost quite a bit.
  • Extra policy coverages push up costs – There are a ton of optional add-on coverages that sound like a good idea at the time when buying insurance. Coverages for replacement cost coverage, accidental death, and motor club memberships may not be needed and are just wasting money. They may sound like good ideas initially, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
  • A good credit history can save money – Having a bad credit history is a large factor in calculating your insurance rates. Insureds that have very good credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. So if your credit could use some work, you could pay less to insure your 2017 Ford C-Max Energi by repairing your credit.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers can’t get away from all the ads that claim the lowest prices from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the ads make the same claim about savings after switching your coverage.

How does every insurance coverage company cost less than your current company? It’s all in the numbers.

Most companies quote their cheapest rates for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a profitable risk profile might be between the ages of 30 and 45, has no driving citations, and drives a safe vehicle. A driver that fits those parameters will probably get the lowest premium rates and have a good chance to save a lot of money.

Potential customers who cannot meet those criteria will probably be forced to pay higher prices which translates to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully claim big savings.

Because of these techniques, you should compare free auto insurance quotes often. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

Specific coverages for a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi

Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverages available from insurance companies.

Liability auto insurance – Liability insurance can cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Another option is one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Most of the time these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Coverage for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for expenses like X-ray expenses, hospital visits and rehabilitation expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. It covers both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Collision coverages – This pays for damage to your C-Max Energi from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things such as scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building, crashing into a ditch, sustaining damage from a pot hole and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Comprehensive coverages – This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as theft, a broken windshield, hitting a deer, rock chips in glass and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Buy online or local, you save

When buying insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

More affordable auto insurance is possible online and from local agencies, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies don’t offer the ability to get quotes online and these small insurance companies provide coverage only through independent agents.

We just presented some good ideas how to compare 2017 Ford C-Max Energi insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote auto insurance, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These companies often have lower rates on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

More detailed auto insurance information is located in the articles below: