2003 Toyota RAV4 Insurance Cost – 7 Tips to Save

Want cheaper insurance rates for your Toyota RAV4? I can’t think of a single person who likes paying for insurance, particularly when their premiums are through the roof. Numerous auto insurance companies battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a insurance company and get the best coverage at the lowest rate

If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Finding the best rates is not rocket science. Vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to compare price quotes online.

Take these seven discounts and save

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you may find discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but a few must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount. If they aren’t giving you every credit you deserve, you are throwing money away.

  • Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
  • Discount for Good Grades – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
  • Sign Online – A few companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy online.
  • Defensive Driver – Taking a driver safety course could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Clubs and Organizations – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying insurance on RAV4 insurance.
  • Anti-theft System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

Companies who might offer these benefits include:

Double check with all companies you are considering which discounts they offer. Discounts might not apply everywhere.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies say the same thing of big savings if you change your policy.

How does each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential insureds who do not match the “perfect” profile will be quoted higher premiums which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

This emphasizes why you should get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict which insurance company will have the lowest Toyota RAV4 insurance rates.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When buying coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • How can I get my company to pay me more for my totalled car?
  • What if I total my 2003 Toyota RAV4 and owe more than it’s worth?
  • Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
  • Does car insurance cover theft of personal property?
  • Is a blown tire covered by insurance?
  • Where can I get insurance after a DUI in my state?
  • Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver?
  • When do I need to add a new car to my policy?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance coverages 101

Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are typical coverage types found on most auto insurance policies.

Comprehensive protection

This covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like theft, damage from flooding, vandalism and fire damage. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Coverage for collisions

This will pay to fix damage to your RAV4 resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage pays for things such as crashing into a ditch, scraping a guard rail, sustaining damage from a pot hole and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability insurance

This coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability can pay for claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and bail bonds. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as much as you can afford.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This provides protection when other motorists 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 Toyota RAV4.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Frequently these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Medical expense coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for bills for funeral costs, nursing services, dental work, X-ray expenses and doctor visits. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program 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 only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

Quote more, save more

Cheaper 2003 Toyota RAV4 insurance is definitely available both online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best selection. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to reduce insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small local company. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.

To read more, link through to the resources below: