2013 BMW 1 Series Car Insurance Rates

Searching for cheaper insurance coverage rates for your BMW 1 Series? If shopping for insurance quotes online is new to you, you can easily be bewildered by the crazy number of local and online companies all claiming to save you money.

Six things that affect your insurance premiums

Many things are taken into consideration when quoting car insurance. Some are obvious like your driving record, but other factors are more transparent such as your credit history or how safe your car is.Part of the car insurance buying process is learning the factors that are used to determine your policy premiums. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this allows you to make good choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

The factors shown below are a few of the “ingredients” used by your company to calculate your prices.

  • Location can impact price – Having an address in a small town may provide you with better prices when insuring your vehicles. People who live in big cities have congested traffic and much longer commute distances. Fewer drivers on the road corresponds to lower accident rates and a lower car theft rate.
  • How’s your driving record? – Having a clean driving record influences premium rates substantially. Drivers with clean records get better rates as compared to those with violations. Even one speeding ticket or other violation can boost insurance rates by as much as twenty percent. Drivers who have flagrant tickets like DUI or willful reckless driving may find they need to maintain a SR-22 with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Poor credit decisions can cost you – Credit rating is a big factor in determining your rates. Insureds with very good credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with worse credit. If your credit is not that good, you may save money insuring your 2013 BMW 1 Series by improving your rating.
  • Incidental coverages that aren’t used – There are many extra coverages that can add up if you aren’t diligent. Add-on coverages like replacement cost coverage, better glass coverage, and term life insurance are probably not needed. These coverages may sound good when deciding what coverages you need, but your needs may have changed so consider taking them off your policy.
  • Optional features can affect rates – Choosing to buy a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your premiums. Systems that thwart theives like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping your vehicle from being stolen.
  • How many coverages with the same company – The majority of insurers will award discounts to customers who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you qualify for this discount already, you still need to get quotes from other companies to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still find better rates even if you have your coverage with different companies

How to buy insurance

There are multiple methods to shop for insurance, but some are more efficient than others. You could waste time talking to agents in your area, or you could use the internet to maximize your effort.

Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers send in one quote, and each participating company returns a rated price based on that data. This saves time by eliminating form submissions to each company.

To compare rates now click here (opens in new window).

The one disadvantage to getting quotes like this is buyers cannot specifically choose the providers to get pricing from. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare prices, we put together a list of insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.

Compare rates however you want, just make absolute certain that you use the exact same quote information on every quote you get. If you are comparing different values for each quote you can’t possibly determine the lowest rate for your BMW 1 Series. Just a small difference in insurance coverages or limits could mean much higher rates. It’s important to know that more quotes helps improve the odds of finding lower pricing. Some smaller insurers to not give price estimates online, so you also need to get price quotes from the smaller companies as well.

Lower your car insurance rates with discounts

Car insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but you might be missing out on some discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some discounts will apply at the time of quoting, but once in a while a discount must be requested specifically in order for you to get them.

  • Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have better premium rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
  • 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10% on 1 Series insurance.
  • Low Miles Discount – Keeping the miles down on your BMW can qualify you for substantially lower car insurancerates.
  • Lower Rates for Military – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles help deter theft and that can save you a little bit as well.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than spreading payments over time you could save up to 5%.

Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.

A few of the larger companies and a selection of discounts include:

  • State Farm may have discounts that include driver’s education, Drive Safe & Save, multiple autos, defensive driving training, multiple policy, good driver, and student away at school.
  • American Family offers discounts including good student, bundled insurance, air bags, Steer into Savings, early bird, and TimeAway discount.
  • AAA may include discounts for education and occupation, good driver, multi-car, AAA membership discount, pay-in-full, multi-policy, and anti-theft.
  • GEICO may offer discounts for driver training, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, federal employee, air bags, and membership and employees.
  • Mercury Insurance offers discounts for professional/association, accident-free, annual mileage, type of vehicle, low natural disaster claims, multi-car, and good driver.
  • Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including teen driver, early shopping, mature driver, business and professional, good student, electronic funds transfer, and youthful driver.
  • Progressive has savings for online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, online signing, good student, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle.

Double check with each insurance company which discounts you may be entitled to. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered on policies in your area.

You are unique and your insurance coverage should be too

When choosing the right insurance coverage, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

For instance, these questions can aid in determining if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
  • What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
  • Do I need motorclub coverage?
  • If I drive on a suspended license am I covered?
  • Can my babysitter drive my car?
  • Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
  • How much liability coverage do I need in my state?
  • Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Auto insurance 101

Having a good grasp of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Coverage for medical payments

Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for bills such as funeral costs, prosthetic devices, rehabilitation expenses and EMT expenses. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Liability

Liability insurance will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 50/100/50 that translate to a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for things such as pain and suffering, loss of income and medical expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy as much as you can afford.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your BMW 1 Series.

Due to the fact that many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Normally these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Comprehensive coverages

This will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as fire damage, theft, hail damage, damage from flooding and vandalism. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for collisions

Collision coverage covers damage to your 1 Series resulting from a collision with another car or object. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, sideswiping another vehicle and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Be a money saver!

Cheaper 2013 BMW 1 Series insurance can be purchased online and from local agencies, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies work with local independent agents.

We just showed you many ideas to save on 2013 BMW 1 Series insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you quote insurance, the better your chances of lowering your prices. You may be surprised to find that the best price on auto insurance is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

Insureds switch companies for a variety of reasons including high rates after DUI convictions, denial of a claim, lack of trust in their agent or even poor customer service. Regardless of your reason, finding a new company is not as hard as you think.

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