Have you had enough of scraping the payment together to buy car insurance? You’re in the same situation as many other drivers.
Multiple auto insurance companies compete for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies to find the lowest cost out there.
You should make it a habit to price shop coverage periodically since rates trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the best price on Eighty-Eight coverage two years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. You can find a lot of wrong information about auto insurance online but we’re going to give you some good information on how to reduce your auto insurance bill.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. Choosing the best insurance company for you is quite easy. Nevertheless, consumers must know the methods companies use to sell online and take advantage of how the system works.
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.
The following are some of the items companies use to determine rates.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there are discounts available to cut the cost considerably. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but a few must be specifically requested prior to receiving the credit.
It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.
To see a list of insurers offering insurance coverage discounts, click here to view.
When it comes to buying coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Liability insurance – This will cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property by causing an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for claims such as emergency aid, pain and suffering, loss of income and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses such as ambulance fees, dental work, prosthetic devices and X-ray expenses. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Normally these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive auto coverage – This covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like damage from getting keyed, falling objects, hail damage, rock chips in glass and vandalism. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision coverage – This coverage pays for damage to your Eighty-Eight resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers claims like driving through your garage door, rolling your car, sideswiping another vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Cost effective 1997 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight insurance can be sourced online as well as from independent agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some auto insurance companies don’t offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
You just learned many ideas to get a better price on insurance. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even discover the best prices are with the smaller companies. These smaller insurers may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as GEICO and State Farm.