Are you overwhelmed by the wide range of car insurance company choices? Many other consumers are too. Drivers have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a challenge to find better rates.
It’s a good idea to compare prices at least once a year due to the fact that insurance rates fluctuate regularly. If you had the best rates on Regal insurance a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate one of the easiest ways to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
There are a lot of ways you can shop for insurance but one way is more efficient than others. You could waste a few hours driving to insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Many companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and each company then gives them pricing. This prevents consumers from doing form submissions for every insurance company.
To participate in this free quote system, click to open in new window.
The only downside to doing it this way is that consumers can’t choose which insurance companies to get quotes from. So if you want to select specific providers to compare rates, we have a page of low cost insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
Which method you use is up to you, but make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples coverage information for every quote you compare. If you are comparing different limits and deductibles on each one it will be next to impossible to find the best deal for your Buick Regal. Having just a slight variation in coverages may result in a large different in cost. Just remember that comparing more company’s prices provides better odds of finding better pricing.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few must be specially asked for in order for you to get them.
It’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you could get a free insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But any discount will cut your premiums.
To see a list of companies with discount insurance rates, click here.
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.
Listed below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate premiums.
When it comes to choosing coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Every situation is different.
For instance, these questions might point out if you might need professional guidance.
If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form.
Insurance providers like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on television and other media. They all have a common claim that you can save after switching to their company. How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.
All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and has a high credit rating. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who are not a match for these standards must pay higher rates which leads to business not being written. The ads say “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how insurance companies can make those claims.
This illustrates why it’s extremely important to compare as many rates as you can. Because you never know which insurance company will fit your personal profile best.
Having a good grasp of your policy aids in choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Medical costs insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses for ambulance fees, EMT expenses, prosthetic devices and pain medications. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
UM/UIM Coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Buick Regal.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Liability – Liability coverage will cover damage that occurs to people or other property by causing an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability 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. Your policy might show policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for things like emergency aid, legal defense fees, court costs and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as large an amount as possible.
Collision coverages – This pays for damage to your Regal resulting from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as crashing into a building, hitting a parking meter, driving through your garage door and crashing into a ditch. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like theft, rock chips in glass and fire damage. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Affordable 1998 Buick Regal insurance can be purchased on the web and with local insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not offer online quoting and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many situations where someone dropped full coverage only to find out that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just covered many ideas to lower your insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from the least-expected company.