Save on 2011 Dodge Durango Car Insurance Cost

Buying the most affordable insurance online may be rather challenging for people who are new to price shopping online. With so many insurers to choose from, how can you possibly compare every one to find the best available price?

You should make it a habit to do rate comparisons on a regular basis due to the fact that insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Just because you had the best deal on Durango coverage a year ago you will most likely find a better rate today. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding insurance online but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some tested techniques to slash your insurance rates.

Finding the best rates is not rocket science. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. Although car owners must learn how companies market on the web and use this information to your advantage.

Comprehensive Auto Insurance Comparison

The are a couple different ways to compare quotes and find the best price. The easiest way to find the cheapest 2011 Dodge Durango insurance rates is simply to get online rate quotes. This can be done using a couple different methods.

One of the simplest ways to get quotes for comparison is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This form eliminates the need for separate quotation requests for every auto insurance company. Just one form will return price quotes from auto insurance companies with the best prices. This is by far the quickest method.
A less efficient way to shop for auto insurance online consists of going to each company website and complete a new quote form. For example, let’s say you want to compare Nationwide, Farmers and Allstate. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is quicker.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in your area, click here.

It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing identical coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If you use different liability limits it’s impossible to make a fair comparison for your Dodge Durango. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. It’s important to know that quoting more provides better odds of finding the best price.

Save money by taking advantage of these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise all their discounts very clearly, so we break down both the well known and the harder-to-find car insurance savings.

Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
Accident Forgiveness – A few companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can pay as much as 50% less on Durango coverage than drivers with accidents.
Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% on Durango coverage with certain companies.
Clubs and Organizations – Participating in a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance on Durango coverage.
Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

For a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates, click here to view.

What determines your Dodge Durango insurance premium

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that help determine car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get big savings.

The following are some of the factors used by your company to calculate your rates.

Liability insurance protects assets – Liability insurance is the protection when a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Safer occupants lowers premiums – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower injury rates translates into savings for insurance companies passed on to you as lower rates. If your Dodge has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it is probably cheaper to insure.
Bad driving skills means higher rates – Only having one citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
Your stress level may be raising your rates – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like real estate brokers, architects and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates due to stressful work requirements and long work hours. Other jobs such as scientists, historians and homemakers pay the least on Durango coverage.
Little extras can really add up – There are quite a few extra coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships are some examples. They may seem good initially, but if you don’t need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Special features that cut premiums – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can thwart auto theft.
Men fork out a little more – Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. Both sexes are in accidents at a similar rate, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving.
Don’t cancel a policy without a new one in place – Not having insurance is a misdemeanor and as a result your rates will increase for letting your insurance expire. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage will get you a steep fine or even jail time.You may then be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.

When should I use an insurance agent?

When buying the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

For example, these questions may help highlight if you might need professional guidance.

I have health insurance so do I need medical payments coverage?
Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
When can I cancel my policy?
Am I insured when driving a different vehicle?
When would I need rental car insurance?
Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
Is motorclub coverage worth it?
Why do I only qualify for high-risk insurance?

If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Parts of your car insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family.

Collision coverage

Collision coverage covers damage to your Durango resulting from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers things such as colliding with another moving vehicle, hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Liability coverage

Liability coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 50/100/50 that translate to a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as court costs, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive insurance

This coverage covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like hitting a bird, a broken windshield, damage from getting keyed and fire damage. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses like pain medications, hospital visits, EMT expenses, funeral costs and ambulance fees. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover both the driver and occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Smart shoppers get results

Drivers switch companies for any number of reasons including delays in paying claims, not issuing a premium refund, policy cancellation or even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company can be easy and end up saving you some money.

Low-cost 2011 Dodge Durango insurance is attainable from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

We just covered a lot of tips how to shop for insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a small mutual company.