Cheaper 1998 Mazda Protege Insurance Quotes

Have you had enough of being strong-armed each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other consumers.

Big companies like Progressive, State Farm and GEICO increase brand awareness with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to avoid their marketing magic and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It’s a good idea to shop coverage around every six months because prices trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the lowest price for Protege coverage on your last policy there is a good chance you can find better rates now. There is too much inaccurate information about insurance on the internet, so I’m going to show you the best ways to reduce your insurance bill.

Impacting insurance rates for a Mazda Protege

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are some of the items used by your company to calculate premiums.

  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are a lot of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but if you don’t need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
  • Drive a safer car and pay less – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. Safe vehicles result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates. If your Mazda Protege earned at least four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it may be receiving lower rates.
  • Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Careers like judges, executives and accountants have higher rates than average attributed to high stress and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, professions such as farmers, athletes and retirees get better rates for Protege coverage.
  • Protect yourself with liability coverage – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
  • Bump up deductibles to save – Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your Mazda from damage. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, or theft. Your deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. The more you have to pay, the lower your rates will be for Protege coverage.
  • Car features impact rates – Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart auto theft.
  • Never let your coverage lapse – Not having insurance can get your license suspended and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. Not only will you pay more, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you a revoked license or a big fine.You may need to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.

Comparison of Insurance Coverage

To find the best insurance coverage prices, there are several ways to compare quotes from different insurance companies. The quickest method to find the cheapest 1998 Mazda Protege insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.

The first (and easiest) way consumers can analyze rates would be an industry-wide quote request form click here to open form in new window. This form prevents you from having to do separate quotation requests to each individual insurance coverage company. One form will get you price quotes from multiple companies.

A less efficient way to shop for insurance coverage online is to manually visit the website for every company you want to comare to request a price quote. For instance, let’s say you want to compare Progressive, Farmers and Travelers. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular.

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

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you’re using the exact same quote information for each comparison quote. If you use unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be very difficult to find the best deal for your Mazda Protege. Having just a slight variation in limits can make a big difference in price. And when comparison shopping, more quotes helps locate a lower rate.

Discounts are available to cut your rates

Companies that sell car insurance don’t list every available discount very clearly, so the following is a list of some of the more common and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance.

  • Discount for Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy life insurance.
  • No Claims – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts as compared to drivers who are more careless.
  • Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
  • Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles with the same company qualifies for this discount.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get better car insurance rates for Protege coverage.

It’s important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way.

Companies that may offer some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:

It’s a good idea to ask each insurance company what discounts are available to you. Discounts may not be available in your area.

Everyone needs different coverages

When it comes to buying coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether your personal situation might need professional guidance.

  • Is my state a no-fault state?
  • Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
  • Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
  • Am I better off with higher deductibles on my 1998 Mazda Protege?
  • Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
  • How does medical payments coverage work?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Insurance specifics

Knowing the specifics of a insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverages found on the average insurance policy.

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

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as falling objects, a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, vandalism and theft. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Auto liability – Liability coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people by causing an accident. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims, 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. As an example, you may have policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability can pay for claims such as funeral expenses, pain and suffering, medical expenses and emergency aid. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Coverage for medical expenses – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses such as pain medications, chiropractic care and ambulance fees. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers both the driver and occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Collision – 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 coverage protects against claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Feed the piggy bank

You just read some good ideas how to reduce 1998 Mazda Protege insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage and learned later that it was a big error on their part. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate.

The cheapest insurance can be found both online in addition to many insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

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