If shopping for car insurance online is new to you, it’s easy to be confused by the vast number of car insurance companies selling insurance.
It’s a great practice to do rate comparisons yearly due to the fact that insurance rates change frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest rates on Riviera insurance two years ago you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to find out how to use online quotes to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
The purpose of this post is to teach you the most effective way to quote insurance. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to cut costs considerably using these methods. But drivers should learn the way insurance companies price insurance differently.
Most companies allow you to get pricing on their websites. Getting online rates is quite easy as you simply type in your personal and coverage information into the quote form. After the form is submitted, their system gets your credit score and driving record and generates pricing information based on these factors.
This helps simplify price comparisons, but the work required to visit a lot of sites and complete many quote forms is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s very important to do this in order to find the lowest price.
A more efficient way to find cheaper rates requires only one form to return rates from a bunch of companies at once. It saves time, reduces the work, and makes online shopping much more enjoyable. Immediately after submitting the form, it is rated and you can choose any or none of the quotes that you receive.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will know how your current rates stack up.
In order to compare rates using this form now, click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you enter the coverages as shown on your current policy. This guarantees you are getting comparison quotes for similar coverage.
When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different.
For example, these questions might help in determining if your insurance needs could use an agent’s help.
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form.
Knowing the specifics of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Liability insurance – Liability insurance provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people by causing an accident. It protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage pays for things such as structural damage, attorney fees, emergency aid, legal defense fees and medical expenses. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.
Comprehensive insurance – This pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer, damage from getting keyed, hitting a bird and theft. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for short-term medical expenses like dental work, doctor visits, X-ray expenses, surgery and ambulance fees. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for things like colliding with another moving vehicle, sideswiping another vehicle, scraping a guard rail and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Buick Riviera.
Since many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.