Are you sick and tired of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? You’re in the same situation as many other drivers.
Lots of auto insurance companies contend for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a insurance company and get the definite best rate
Effectively comparing car insurance prices can take hours if you don’t utilize the most efficient way to do it. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize online quotes to get prices fast.
Most major companies take part in a program where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each participating company returns a competitive quote. This prevents consumers from doing form submissions to each company. To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to doing it this way is you can’t choose the companies you want pricing from. So if you prefer to pick specific providers to request quotes from, we put together a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
Whichever way you use, make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits on every quote you get. If you are comparing different values for each quote it’s impossible to decipher which rate is best. Just a small difference in coverage limits can make a big difference in price. And when quoting car insurance, remember that more quotes helps locate the best price.
An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating your auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.
Car insurance companies do not list all their discounts very clearly, so we break down both well-publicized and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you’re out of luck.
For a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts, click here.
When buying the best insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s situation is a little different so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions can help discover whether you could use an agent’s help.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages found on most insurance policies.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses for things like surgery, hospital visits and doctor visits. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Liability coverage – This protects you from damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. It protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against things like repair costs for stationary objects, funeral expenses and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as large an amount as possible.
Comprehensive auto coverage – This pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like a broken windshield, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a bird and damage from flooding. The maximum payout a insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance covers damage to your Flex caused by collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for claims like hitting a parking meter, rolling your car, colliding with another moving vehicle and scraping a guard rail. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
While you’re price shopping online, make sure you don’t buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced full coverage and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
We covered a lot of ways to save on 2012 Ford Flex insurance. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest premiums are with a small mutual company. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Progressive and GEICO.
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