Save on 1998 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 Car Insurance Cost

Want the cheapest insurance coverage rates for your Dodge Ram Pickup 1500? Are you tired of trying to scrape together enough money to pay your car insurance bill each month? You’re in the same situation as most other car owners. There is such a variety of insurers to choose from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates and cut insurance costs.

Finding the best rates is quite easy. If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Drivers just need to understand the proper methods to shop their coverage around over the internet.

These factors can influence Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 insurance rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

  • Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs such as doctors, business owners and dentists tend to have the highest average rates attributed to high stress and long work hours. Other jobs such as actors, historians and performers receive lower rates on Ram pickup insurance.
  • Bump up deductibles to save – The deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, also known as collision and other-than-collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. Examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, vandalism, or theft. The more expense you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be on Ram pickup insurance.
  • Liability insurance protects assets – Your policy’s liability coverage will protect you in the event that you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense coverage starting from day one. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
  • Rate your vehicle for proper use – Driving more miles every year the higher your rate. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Cars not used for work or commuting can get a lower rate as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money. If your policy improperly rates your Ram Pickup 1500 can cost quite a bit.
  • Marriage pays dividends – Having a wife or husband helps lower the price when buying insurance. Having a spouse usually means you are more responsible and it’s statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Your location affects your rates – Living in a rural area is a positive aspect when buying insurance. Fewer drivers means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Urban drivers tend to have more traffic problems and longer commute times. Longer commute distances translates into higher accident risk.
  • Do you know you’re credit rating? – Credit score is a big factor in determining what you pay for insurance. If your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your 1998 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 by improving your rating. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have poor credit.
  • Traffic citations inflate rates – Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Only having one speeding ticket can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers who have serious citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.

Compare Quotes for Auto Insurance

Finding lower auto insurance rates can be relatively painless. Drivers just need to take a couple of minutes to get quotes online with multiple companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

  1. One of the simplest ways to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This method prevents you from having to do boring form submissions for every auto insurance company. Completing one form compares rates from many national carriers.
  2. A more difficult way to analyze rates requires a visit to the website of each company and complete a new quote form. For instance, we’ll assume you want rates from Nationwide, State Farm and GMAC. You would have to go to every website to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular.

    For a list of links to companies insuring cars in your area, click here.

  3. The least efficient method to get comparison rates is to waste gas driving to insurance agents’ offices. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a need for the personal advice only provided by licensed agents. However, consumers can find lower rates online but buy from a local insurance agent and we’ll touch on that later.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage information for each comparison quote. If your comparisons have different values for each quote you will not be able to truly determine the lowest rate.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers constantly see and hear ads that promise big savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make an identical promise that you can save after switching to their company.

How can each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements will be quoted higher rates which usually ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to get as many quotes as possible. It’s not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings on Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 insurance.

How to reduce 1998 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 insurance rates

Companies don’t always list every discount very well, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the harder-to-find insurance coverage savings. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% on Ram pickup insurance depending on your company.
  • Military Rewards – Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings of up to 25% or more.
  • Club Memberships – Affiliation with a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break on insurance coverage on Ram pickup insurance.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.

It’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

A partial list of companies that may have these discounts include:

Double check with all companies you are considering how you can save money. Some discounts may not apply everywhere.

Tailor your coverage to you

When buying proper insurance coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.

  • Am I covered when driving a rental car?
  • Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
  • Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
  • Is my 1998 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 covered for smoke damage?
  • Do I have newly-aquired coverage?
  • How can I find cheaper teen driver insurance?
  • Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in my state?
  • Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
  • Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Parts of your auto insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of your policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are typical coverages found on most auto insurance policies.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your Dodge Ram Pickup 1500.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Liability coverage

Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage pays for claims like repair costs for stationary objects, attorney fees, medical services, court costs and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Auto collision coverage

Collision insurance pays for damage to your Ram Pickup 1500 resulting from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against claims like hitting a parking meter, scraping a guard rail, sideswiping another vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, a broken windshield and damage from flooding. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Medical expense coverage

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for bills like prosthetic devices, funeral costs, X-ray expenses and ambulance fees. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Final thoughts

Discount 1998 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 insurance is definitely available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies may not provide online quoting and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

We just presented many ways to compare insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. Some small companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many cases where an insured cut full coverage and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional auto insurance information can be found at the links below