Lower Your 1997 Volkswagen Passat Insurance Quotes

Paying for high-priced Volkswagen Passat insurance can overdraw your bank account and make it hard to pay other bills. Doing a price comparison is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to slash your bill and have more diposable income. With so many options, it is very difficult to find the lowest cost company.

Volkswagen Passat rates are in the details

It’s important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for insurance coverage. Understanding what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine rates.

  • Careful drivers pay lower rates – Whether or not you get tickets has a huge affect on how much you pay. Only having one ticket can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Careful drivers receive lower rates than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers with severe tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Where you live – Being located in less populated areas is a positive aspect when insuring your vehicles. Fewer people means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. Drivers who live in large cities regularly have more traffic problems and much longer commute distances. Higher commute times can result in more accidents.
  • Do you know your deductibles? – The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. The more money you have to pay, the lower your rates will be for Passat coverage.
  • You might want pay the small claims yourself – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Companies provide better rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
  • Choose a safe vehicle and save – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into savings for insurance companies and thus lower rates. If your Volkswagen has ratings of a minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website you may qualify for a discount.
  • Do you have enough liability coverage? – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you in the event that you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • Pleasure use or commuting – The more miles you rack up on your Volkswagen each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on how the vehicle is used. Cars that are left in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Verify your insurance coverage policy is showing how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money. Incorrect usage on your Passat can cost quite a bit.
  • Policy add-ons can waste money – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can buy when buying insurance coverage. Insurance for personal injury protection, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.

Discounts are great for lower rates

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there are discounts available to help offset the cost. Some trigger automatically at the time of purchase, but less common discounts must be specially asked for in order for you to get them. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
  • Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more for Passat coverage than their less cautious counterparts.
  • Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
  • Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
  • Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount for Passat coverage with select insurance companies.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Just because you may think it’s possible to get free car insurance, insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

For a list of providers with discount insurance rates, click here.

Drivers who switch save $466 a year? Really?

Consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings from the likes of Allstate and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim that you’ll save big if you switch your coverage to them.

But how can every company make almost identical claims?

All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured could be between 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has a short commute. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who do not match the “perfect” profile will have to pay more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save money. That’s why companies can advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, it is so important to get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know which company will have the lowest Volkswagen Passat insurance rates.

You may need specialized coverage

When buying the right insurance coverage, there really is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
  • Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • What is an SR-22 filing?
  • Is my trailer covered?
  • Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.

What insurance coverages do you need?

Having a good grasp of your policy aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverage types available from insurance companies.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This coverage gives you protection when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Volkswagen Passat.

Since many drivers 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 very important. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Comprehensive auto coverage – This coverage 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 can pay for things such as hitting a deer, damage from getting keyed and hitting a bird. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Medical payments and PIP coverage – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses such as dental work, funeral costs, X-ray expenses and ambulance fees. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Auto liability insurance – This coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property in an accident. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 that means you have a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things like structural damage, court costs and pain and suffering. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

Collision coverage – Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Passat resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against things such as crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Feed the piggy bank

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many situations where someone dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford.

We’ve covered a lot of ways to get a better price on 1997 Volkswagen Passat insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a small local company. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

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