Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, there are many people just like you.
There is such a variety of insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s a good thing to be able to choose, having more insurers makes it harder to compare rates.
It’s important to get comparison quotes yearly since rates are usually higher with each renewal. Even if you think you had the best rates for Ridgeline coverage on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about auto insurance on the internet, so we’re going to give you some tested techniques to buy auto insurance cheaper.
Pricing the cheapest coverage is simple if you know the tricks. Basically, anyone who is required by state law to have insurance coverage will most likely be able to save money. Nevertheless, car owners benefit from understanding how big insurance companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. A few discounts will automatically apply at quote time, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested before you get the savings.
A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will cut the amount you have to pay.
Insurance companies that may offer these money-saving discounts are:
Check with all companies you are considering which discounts you may be entitled to. Some discounts may not apply everywhere.
All the larger auto insurance companies provide price estimates online. Getting online quotes is pretty painless as you simply type in the coverages you want into a form. When the form is submitted, the system obtains your driving record and credit report and gives you a price quote. Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively enter the same data into a form can get tiresome after awhile. Unfortunately, it is important to perform this step in order to get the lowest price.
The better way to compare rates
A quicker way to lower your auto insurance bill is to use a quote form to obtain quotes from a lot of companies. It saves time, eliminates repetitive work, and makes comparison shopping much more enjoyable. As soon as you send your information, your coverage is rated and you can choose any or none of the quote results.
If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. The entire process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
To get comparison pricing now, click here and enter your information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you input the insurance coverages as close as possible to your current policy. This ensures you will be getting comparison quotes using the exact same coverages.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that play a part in calculating your auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to big savings.
When buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Every insured’s situation is different so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions might help in determining whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the usual coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Auto liability insurance – This provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property in an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover 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. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 that translate to a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage protects against things like bail bonds, medical expenses and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
Collision coverages – Collision insurance covers damage to your Ridgeline caused by collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things like hitting a parking meter, crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Honda Ridgeline.
Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Usually these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses for nursing services, rehabilitation expenses and X-ray expenses. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive insurance – This coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a broken windshield, damage from a tornado or hurricane and rock chips in glass. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to lower your 2013 Honda Ridgeline insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the best price on insurance coverage is with an unexpected company. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like GEICO and State Farm.
Lower-priced insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance coverage companies don’t offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
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