Are you regretting buying high-priced insurance coverage? Believe me, many drivers have buyer’s remorse. Having so many companies and agents to choose from, it is hard for the average consumer to pick a more affordable company.
Choosing the best insurance company for you is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you are insured now or are just looking to switch companies, you will benefit by learning to get lower rates and still get good coverage. Consumers only need to know the proper way to find the lowest price online.
Not too many consumers would say car insurance is affordable, but you might find some hidden discounts that you may not know about. Many discounts should be triggered when you quote, but a few must be requested specifically before they will apply.
As a sidenote, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, that’s just not realistic.
The best car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are detailed below.
It’s a good idea to ask all the companies which discounts you qualify for. Some credits may not apply to policyholders in your state. If you would like to see a list of car insurance companies offering car insurance discounts, click here.
Effectively comparing car insurance prices can be a lot of work if you don’t utilize the most efficient way to do it. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking to insurance agencies in your area, or you could save time and use the internet for quick rates.
Most of the best insurance companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to enter their coverage request one time, and at least one company then returns a price quote based on the submitted data. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each individual car insurance company. To find out what other companies charge click to open in new window.
The one downside to using this type of system is that consumers can’t choose the providers you want to price. So if you prefer to choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we have assembled a list of low cost car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
How you compare quotes is your choice, just try to use apples-to-apples quote data on every price quote you get. If the quotes have different data it will be very difficult to decipher which rate is best.
When it comes to choosing coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions may help you determine whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.
If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are the normal coverages offered by insurance companies.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane and fire damage. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Auto liability
Liability insurance will cover damage that occurs to people or other property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability insurance covers things like medical expenses, pain and suffering, repair costs for stationary objects and legal defense fees. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as large an amount as possible.
Collision insurance
This pays for damage to your Cavalier resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as hitting a parking meter, hitting a mailbox, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a building. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Insurance for medical payments
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for immediate expenses such as rehabilitation expenses, prosthetic devices, pain medications, dental work and hospital visits. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Chevy Cavalier.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.
Some car insurance companies do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers prefer to sell through independent agencies. Lower-priced car insurance is possible both online in addition to many insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection.
As you restructure your insurance plan, never reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest cost while still protecting your assets.