Have you had enough of robbing Peter to pay Paul to buy car insurance? You’re in the same situation as millions of other consumers. Insurance companies such as GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive all claim big savings, bombarding you with advertising and it can be hard to ignore the propoganda and do the work needed to find the best deal.
It’s smart to do rate comparisons at least once a year since rates change regularly. If you had the best price for Cooper coverage two years ago you may be paying too much now. Ignore everything you know about insurance coverage because we’re going to demonstrate the only way to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.
The method we recommend to get policy rate comparisons is to know the fact most insurance companies have advanced systems to compare their rates. To get started, all you need to do is provide a small amount of information like what your job is, the type of vehicles you drive, distance driven, and if you have an active license. Those rating factors is instantly submitted to many highly-rated insurers and you should receive rate quotes immediately.
Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but some must be specifically requested before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit you deserve, you are throwing money away.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But all discounts will bring down your premiums.
To see a list of insurers who offer auto insurance discounts, click here to view.
When it comes to buying adequate coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you may require specific advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.
Consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings by companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all seem to make an identical promise that you’ll save big after switching to them.
But how can every company claim to save you money?
All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver they prefer to insure. For example, a profitable customer could possibly be between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. A driver who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.
Drivers who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings.
Because of the profiling, you absolutely need to get quotes from several different companies. Because you never know which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.
Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverages offered by insurance companies.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses for things like pain medications, X-ray expenses, chiropractic care and surgery. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Liability insurance – This provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers things such as pain and suffering, loss of income, funeral expenses and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying higher limits if possible.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your 2003 MINI Cooper.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as hail damage, rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverages – Collision insurance covers damage to your Cooper caused by collision with an object or car. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers claims like driving through your garage door, sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with another moving vehicle and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
You just learned some good ideas how to lower your 2003 MINI Cooper insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.
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