I can’t think of anyone who likes paying for car insurance, particularly when they are paying too much. You have so many insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to be able to choose, so many choices can make it hard to find the lowest rates.
Companies do not advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find both the well known as well as the least known insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.
For a list of insurers who offer insurance discounts, follow this link.
Performing a rate comparison is a ton of work if you don’t know the most efficient way. You can spend your afternoon discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you could save time and use the web to quickly compare rates.
Many companies enroll in a system that enables customers to complete one form, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on that information. This eliminates the need for form submissions to every company.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to open in new window.
The only downside to pricing coverage this way is that you can’t choose which companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to pick individual companies to compare prices, we have a page of companies who write insurance in your area. Click to view list.
Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using apples-to-apples quote information on every quote you get. If you enter mixed coverages it’s impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Nissan Maxima.
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.
When buying the right insurance coverage, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick 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.
Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Liability car insurance – Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for things such as pain and suffering, medical expenses and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.
Comprehensive coverages – This pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for claims such as damage from flooding, a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, damage from getting keyed and hitting a bird. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This provides protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your 2003 Nissan Maxima.
Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Coverage for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for things like rehabilitation expenses, dental work and funeral costs. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision – Collision coverage covers damage to your Maxima resulting from a collision with an object or car. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers things like sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a building and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.
Lower-priced 2003 Nissan Maxima insurance is possible from both online companies as well as from independent agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.
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