View 2014 Buick Encore Car Insurance Rates

Shopping for lower-cost car insurance on the internet may be problematic for consumers that are not comfortable with quoting and buying insurance on the web. With so many insurance agents and insurers to choose from, how can drivers even start to compare all the different companies and get the cheapest available price?

It’s a good habit to compare premium rates periodically because insurance rates change frequently. Just because you had the best deal on Encore coverage a couple years back you may be paying too much now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the only way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to save some money using these methods. The purpose of this post is to tell you how to effectively get price quotes and some tricks to saving. But vehicle owners do need to know how big insurance companies price insurance differently because it can help you find the best coverage.

Find hidden discounts on insurance

Some providers don’t list their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below contains a few of the more common and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using when you buy auto insurance online.

• Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you can avoid monthly service charges.
• Drive Safe and Save – Drivers without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates on Encore coverage compared to accident prone drivers.
• Theft Deterent – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles can help prevent theft and can earn a small discount on your policy.
• Discount for Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Buick can earn better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Early Switch Discount – Select larger companies give a discount for signing up prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
• E-sign – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application on their website.
• Driver Education Discount – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them complete a driver education course in school or through a local driver safety program.
• Good Grades Discount – Getting good grades may save you up to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
• Telematics Data – Policyholders that allow companies to scrutinize when and where they use their vehicle by using a telematics device such as Progressive’s Snapshot might get better premium rates as long as the data is positive.
• Accident-Free Discounts – Drivers who don’t have accidents can save substantially in comparison to policyholders that have many claims.

Discounts save money, but please remember that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Despite the appearance that you can get free auto insurance, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.

A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are shown below.

• Travelers policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, multi-car, hybrid/electric vehicle, good student, home ownership, and early quote.
• 21st Century discounts include anti-lock brakes, driver training, air bags, teen driver, and student driver.
• State Farm offers discounts including safe vehicle, good student, passive restraint, student away at school, defensive driving training, multiple policy, and accident-free.
• Geico may have discounts that include driver training, military active duty, air bags, emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, and seat belt use.
• SAFECO offers premium reductions for homeowner, multi-car, anti-theft, teen safe driver, anti-lock brakes, and drive less.
• AAA offers discounts for multi-policy, AAA membership discount, anti-theft, good driver, and pay-in-full.

If you need lower rates, check with each company or agent which discounts can lower your rates. Some discounts listed above might not be offered on policies everywhere.

How to lower your insurance coverage cost

The majority of larger companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm allow you to get coverage price quotes directly from their websites. Getting online quotes is very simple as you simply type in into a form. Once entered, their rating system makes automated requests for reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price based on these factors.

Being able to quote online streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to multiple sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s absolutely necessary to perform this step in order to get the lowest possible prices on insurance coverage.

A better way to compare insurance coverage pricing uses one simple form to return rates from several companies at one time. It saves time, reduces the work, and makes rate comparisons much more efficient. Immediately after submitting the form, it gets priced and you can choose your choice of the price quotes you receive. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and purchase the new policy. It takes less than 15 minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.

To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, click here and fill out the form. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you complete the form with the coverage information identical to your current policy. This ensures you will have rate comparison quotes for similar coverage.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When buying the best insurance coverage, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different.

For instance, these questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from professional advice.

• How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
• Is my Buick Encore covered if I use it for business?
• What is the rate difference between pleasure use and commuting?
• Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?
• Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
• What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
• Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
• Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you might consider talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Parts of your insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Liability

This coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property in an accident. It protects YOU against other people’s claims. It does not cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability insurance covers things like legal defense fees, bail bonds, emergency aid and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for things like chiropractic care, ambulance fees, funeral costs, EMT expenses and rehabilitation expenses. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Collision insurance

This coverage pays for damage to your Encore resulting from a collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter, hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage

This covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as vandalism, fire damage, falling objects, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and rock chips in glass. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

Consumers change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as lack of trust in their agent, policy non-renewal, extreme rates for teen drivers or poor customer service. Whatever your reason, switching insurance coverage companies can be easier than you think.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

Lower-priced insurance coverage is available on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not have the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers work with local independent agents.

More tips and info about insurance coverage can be read in these articles:

• Event Data Recorders FAQ (iihs.org)
• Understanding Your Insurance Deductible (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Child Safety FAQ (iihs.org)
• Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)