Being forced to pay for overpriced insurance premiums can bleed your checking account and force you to tighten up your finances. Doing a price comparison can lower your rates and help to ensure you are getting the best deal.
Multiple car insurance companies compete to insure your vehicles, so it can be very hard to choose a provider and get the definite lowest cost out there.
Multiple criteria are part of the calculation when premium rates are determined. Most are fairly basic like a motor vehicle report, but other criteria are not as apparent such as whether you are married or how financially stable you are.
The items below are a few of the “ingredients” used by your company to calculate your rates.
The fastest way that we advise to compare insurance rates in your area is to know the fact almost all companies participate in online systems to provide you with free rate quotes. To begin a comparison, all you need to do is provide the companies a bit of rating information like whether you have decent credit, how much school you completed, level of coverage desired, and if you’re married. Your details is then sent to many highly-rated insurers and they return rate quotes immediately.
Respected companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO endlessly run television, radio, and online ads. All the companies have a common claim about how much you will save if you switch to them. How is it possible that every company can charge lower premium rates? It’s all in how they say it.
Many companies quote the lowest rates for the driver that earns them the most money. A good example of a profitable insured may need to be between 30 and 50, has never had a claim, and drives a vehicle with a low ISO rating. A customer getting a price quote who matches that profile will probably get the lowest prices and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.
People who don’t qualify for those criteria will see a higher premium and this can result in the customer buying from a different company. If you pay attention, the ads say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.
Because of the profiling, drivers should do a quote comparison often. It is just not possible to predict the company that will give you lower car insurance rates than your current company.
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise the complete list of policy discounts very clearly, so the list below gives a summary of both well-publicized and also the more inconspicuous credits available to lower your premiums when you buy insurance coverage online.
One thing to note about discounts is that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though the math looks like adding up those discounts means a free policy, that’s just not realistic.
For a list of insurers with discount rates, click here to view.
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions may help highlight whether you could use an agent’s help.
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.
Understanding the coverages of a car insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Coverage for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for bills such as chiropractic care, EMT expenses, funeral costs, pain medications and surgery. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Pontiac Sunfire.
Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Liability insurance – This provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property in an accident. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different 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 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability can pay for claims such as medical services, bail bonds, medical expenses and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
Collision – This coverage covers damage to your Sunfire caused by 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 coverage protects against claims like hitting a mailbox, driving through your garage door and rolling your car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive coverages – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as hail damage, damage from a tornado or hurricane, falling objects and hitting a deer. The most your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Budget-conscious 2002 Pontiac Sunfire insurance is available on the web in addition to many insurance agents, so get free insurance coverage quotes from both of them so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not provide price quotes online and these smaller companies sell through independent agencies.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how to save on 2002 Pontiac Sunfire insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on insurance is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.