2008 Kia Optima Insurance Quotes

Insurance shopping is not something people love to do, but unfortunately it’s required before you can go for a ride.

Consumers need to compare rates on a regular basis because prices trend upward over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates on Optima coverage two years ago you may be paying too much now. Ignore everything you know about insurance coverage because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the things you must know in order to buy cheaper insurance coverage.

This article will help educate you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some tips to save money. If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Although consumers need to have an understanding of how big insurance companies sell online.

How to Get Car Insurance Comparison Quotes

To find the best car insurance prices, there are several ways of comparing price quotes from local car insurance companies. The fastest way to find the lowest 2008 Kia Optima rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

  1. The first (and easiest) way to find the lowest comparison rates would be an industry-wide quote request form click here to open form in new window. This method keeps you from doing multiple quote forms for each company you want a rate for. In just a few minutes this one form will return price quotes from multiple low-cost companies. It’s definitely the quickest method.
  2. A less efficient way to compare prices requires a trip to each company’s website and request a quote. For sake of this example, let’s say you want to compare rates from Allstate, Esurance and American Family. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site and enter your information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.
  3. The least efficient method to get comparison rates is driving to different agent offices. Shopping for car insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the personal advice only provided by licensed agents. You can, however, price shop online but buy from a local insurance agent and we’ll touch on that later.

Which method you use is up to you, but make absolute certain that you use exactly the same coverage information for each comparison quote. If your comparisons have different liability limits it will be impossible to decipher which rate is best. Just a small difference in coverages could mean much higher rates. It’s important to know that getting more free quotes will improve the odds of getting better pricing.

How to save on Kia Optima insurance

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but a few must be inquired about prior to getting the savings.

  • Early Signing – A few companies offer discounts for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
  • Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less on Optima coverage than less cautious drivers.
  • Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
  • Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
  • One Accident Forgiven – A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.

Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free car insurance policy, you won’t be that lucky. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of companies with discount car insurance rates, click this link.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

For example, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.

  • Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
  • How much can I save by bundling my policies?
  • Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
  • What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
  • What is medical payments coverage?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.

Why your Kia Optima insurance rates may be high

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

The following are some of the items companies use to determine premiums.

  • Clean credit earns discounts – A driver’s credit score is a large factor in determining your rates. If your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your 2008 Kia Optima by repairing your credit. Drivers with excellent credit tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have poor credit.
  • Your location is important – Living in a small town has it’s advantages when it comes to auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas regularly have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
  • Liability coverage is peace of mind – Liability insurance provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. Liability provides for a legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
  • High numbers of claims are not good – Car insurance companies give lower rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you file claims often, you can expect either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.

Is there deception in advertising?

Insurance coverage providers like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive consistently run ads in print and on television. They all make an identical promise of big savings if you change your coverage to them. How can each company make almost identical claims?

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer might be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A customer who meets those qualifications will get very good rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Consumers who fall outside the “perfect” profile must pay more money and ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

This illustrates why you absolutely need to get as many quotes as possible. It’s not possible to predict which company will have the lowest Kia Optima insurance rates.

Insurance coverages 101

Having a good grasp of insurance can help you determine the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.

Auto collision coverage

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things such as scraping a guard rail, damaging your car on a curb, rolling your car and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hitting a deer, theft and vandalism. The maximum payout 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.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Liability car insurance

This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to people or other property. It protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have values of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability insurance covers claims such as legal defense fees, structural damage, repair costs for stationary objects, emergency aid and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Insurance for medical payments

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills for things like dental work, nursing services, chiropractic care, surgery and ambulance fees. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Final thoughts

Insureds leave their current company for many reasons like questionable increases in premium, policy non-renewal, high rates after DUI convictions and even being labeled a high risk driver. Whatever your reason, finding the right car insurance provider is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don’t be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, drivers have reduced liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Discount 2008 Kia Optima insurance is attainable both online and also from your neighborhood agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies may not provide online quoting and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

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