Nobody I know likes having to buy auto insurance, especially knowing their premiums are through the roof. With so many insurance companies to choose from, it’s difficult to find the lowest cost company.
It’s a good habit to price shop coverage at least once a year since rates change regularly. Even if you got the best price on Focus coverage last year you can probably find a better price now. You’ll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about auto insurance online, so I’m going to show you a lot of great tips on how to save money.
Finding the best rates is not rocket science. If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you will benefit by learning to reduce the price you pay while maximizing coverage. Drivers only need to know the most efficient way to compare rates on the web.
Car insurance companies don’t list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the more common and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
For a list of providers with discount car insurance rates, click here to view.
Shopping for lower insurance coverage rates is a ton of work if you don’t utilize the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day talking about coverages with agents in your area, or you can stay home and use online quoting to get the quickest rates.
Many insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace where insurance shoppers complete one form, and every company can give them a price. This saves time by eliminating form submissions to each company.
To find out what other companies charge for 2004 Ford Focus insurance click here to start a free quote.
The only downside to comparing rates this way is you don’t know exactly the providers to receive prices from. So if you want to choose individual companies to compare, we have a page of companies who write insurance coverage in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing the exact same deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If your comparisons have differing limits it’s not possible to determine the lowest rate for your Ford Focus.
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.
When choosing the best insurance coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.
If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.
Learning about specific coverages of your insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the usual coverages offered by insurance companies.
Liability auto insurance
This coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see values of 100/300/100 that translate to a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability can pay for things such as repair costs for stationary objects, loss of income, funeral expenses, structural damage and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but buy higher limits if possible.
Collision insurance
This coverage covers damage to your Focus resulting from a collision with an object or car. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, crashing into a ditch, rolling your car and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
UM/UIM Coverage
This protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Ford Focus.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from getting keyed and a broken windshield. The maximum payout a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Medical costs insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills for things like chiropractic care, ambulance fees and rehabilitation expenses. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Affordable 2004 Ford Focus insurance is definitely available from both online companies and with local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance coverage companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to reduce insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. These companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
Much more information about insurance coverage can be read at these links: