I can’t think of anyone who likes paying for insurance, particularly when the cost is too high. Insurance companies such as Allstate, Progressive and GEICO increase brand awareness with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better insurance rates.
The following are some of the items used by your company to calculate premiums.
Most major insurance companies quote prices for coverage on the web. This process is quite simple as you simply type in the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. After you submit the form the company’s rating system will order your driving record and credit report and gives you a price quote based on these and other factors. This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time it takes to visit multiple sites and enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s absolutely necessary to do this in order to find the best price on car insurance.
A quicker way to find lower prices makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes comparison shopping much more efficient. After sending the form, it is rated and you are able to buy any one of the price quotes you receive.
If you find a better price you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and could lower your rates considerably.
To compare pricing, click here to open in a new tab and complete the simple form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you copy the coverage information as close as possible to your current policy. This ensures you will be getting an apples-to-apples comparison for exact coverage.
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. A few discounts will automatically apply at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied prior to getting the savings. If you don’t get every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.
Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.
Car insurance companies who might offer these money-saving discounts are:
It’s a good idea to ask each company what discounts are available to you. Some discounts might not be offered in your area.
When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help highlight if you will benefit from professional help.
If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking 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. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
Understanding the coverages of a car insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the normal coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like a broken windshield, hail damage and rock chips in glass. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Auto liability insurance
This can cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage pays for things such as attorney fees, funeral expenses, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Collision coverage protection
Collision coverage covers damage to your Aztek caused by collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things such as colliding with a tree, backing into a parked car and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Medical expense insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for short-term medical expenses like dental work, surgery, X-ray expenses, hospital visits and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Pontiac Aztek.
Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
We just showed you many ways to compare 2004 Pontiac Aztek insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small local company. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.
More detailed auto insurance information can be read at these sites: