Being forced to pay for overpriced insurance coverage premiums can draw down your family’s budget and require stricter spending habits.
Since vehicle owners have many options, it can be challenging to locate the most affordable insurance coverage provider.
Choosing the best insurance company for you is quite easy. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to save some money using this strategy. But consumers do need to understand the way companies price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.
There are a lot of ways to compare car insurance prices and some are more efficient than others. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with agents in your area, or you can stay home and use the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Many insurance companies belong to an insurance system where insurance shoppers enter their coverage request one time, and each company then returns a price quote based on that information. This saves time by eliminating quote forms to every company.
To access this free quoting program, click here to start a free quote.
The one disadvantage to pricing coverage this way is you are unable to specify the providers to receive prices from. So if you prefer to pick specific providers to request quotes from, we put together a list of low cost car insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.
Whichever way you choose to compare rates, be sure to compare nearly identical deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you compare different values for each quote it will be nearly impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Ford Edge. Slightly different limits can result in a big premium difference. Keep in mind that having more price comparisons will enable you to find more affordable rates. Not every company provides online quotes, so it’s recommended that you also compare rates on coverage from those companies, too.
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may be missing some discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain reductions will be credited when you quote, but a few must be asked for prior to getting the savings.
Don’t be shocked that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, you aren’t that lucky. But any discount will positively reduce the amount you pay for coverage.
The best insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.
When quoting, ask every prospective company which discounts can lower your rates. Savings may not apply in your area. To view insurance companies with discount rates, follow this link.
When choosing adequate coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Understanding the coverages of your policy aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find the usual coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Ford Edge.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Insurance for medical payments
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for things like doctor visits, hospital visits and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Liability coverage
Liability insurance provides protection from damage that occurs to people or other property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000.
Liability coverage pays for things such as structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and pain and suffering. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.
Collision coverage protection
This coverage pays for damage to your Edge resulting from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as scraping a guard rail, damaging your car on a curb and colliding with a tree. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like a broken windshield, rock chips in glass and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.