Are you tired of being strong-armed to buy car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other drivers.
Having so many insurance coverage companies to choose from, it is hard for the average consumer to locate the lowest price car insurance company.
Buying car insurance is not rocket science. If you have car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Although consumers do need to learn the methods companies use to sell online and use this information to your advantage.
Auto insurance companies do not advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both the well known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
To see a list of insurers with discount insurance rates, follow this link.
There are a lot of ways to compare auto insurance quotes, but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You can waste a few hours (or days) discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you can stay home and use online quotes to maximize your effort.
Many companies enroll in a system where prospective buyers enter their coverage request one time, and every company returns a rated price for coverage. This eliminates the need for quote requests for each company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click here (opens in new window).
The only drawback to doing it this way is you don’t know exactly the insurers you want pricing from. So if you want to select specific providers to request quotes from, we have a page of auto insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make absolute certain that you use apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If you compare differing limits it will be impossible to make an equal comparison. Quoting even small variations in coverages may cause a big price difference. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that quoting more provides better odds of finding a lower rate.
When choosing proper insurance coverage, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine if you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Having a good grasp of your insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are typical coverage types available from insurance companies.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
This gives you protection from other motorists when they 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.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for expenses such as ambulance fees, doctor visits, EMT expenses, pain medications and chiropractic care. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Liability car insurance
This can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people. It protects you against claims from other people, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability can pay for things like loss of income, emergency aid, funeral expenses, structural damage and attorney fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Collision insurance
This will pay to fix damage to your xB caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for things like damaging your car on a curb, sideswiping another vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a mailbox and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive insurance
This coverage pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like hitting a deer, hitting a bird and falling objects. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
As you restructure your insurance plan, you should never reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
Cheap 2015 Scion xB insurance can be bought both online in addition to many insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.