I can’t think of a single person who looks forward to paying for auto insurance, particularly when they are paying too much. Consumers have many car insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, it makes it harder to find a good deal.
It’s a great practice to compare rates periodically because prices change quite often. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price on Mirage coverage two years ago you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re about to find out the tricks you need to know to find better coverage at a better price.
Pricing the lowest cost auto insurance coverage is not that difficult. If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can follow these tips to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. Consumers only need an understanding of the most effective way to find the lowest price online.
All major insurance coverage companies provide price estimates online. The process doesn’t take a lot of time as you simply enter the coverages you want into a form. When the form is submitted, the company’s rating system obtains credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on many factors. This makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit a lot of sites and type in the same information gets old quite quickly. But it’s very important to perform this step if you want to find the lowest price.
The better way to compare rates
The smarter way to lower your rates uses one simple form to get prices from multiple companies. It saves time, requires less work, and makes online quotes much more efficient. As soon as you send your information, your coverage is rated and you can choose any one of the resulting price quotes.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and could lower your rates considerably.
In order to get comparison pricing now, click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you complete the form with the insurance coverages as shown on your current policy. This makes sure you will have an apples-to-apples comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.
When choosing the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions might point out whether you will benefit from professional help.
If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
Understanding the coverages of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the normal coverages available from car insurance companies.
Auto liability – Liability coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. It 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 per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 50/100/50 which means a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage pays for things like funeral expenses, emergency aid and loss of income. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as large an amount as possible.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for immediate expenses like chiropractic care, rehabilitation expenses, dental work, surgery and pain medications. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your 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. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like a broken windshield, damage from flooding and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision coverage – This will pay to fix damage to your Mirage resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers claims such as hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. You can also bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.