1997 Mazda Protege Insurance Quotes – 8 Savings Tips

No one cherishes buying car insurance, in particular when they are paying too much.

Since consumers have many insurance providers from which to choose, it is hard for the average consumer to find the lowest cost insurance company.

Smart consumers take time to get comparison quotes every six months because rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you got the best rates for Protege coverage a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to one of the easiest ways to find better coverage at a better price.

Choosing the best insurance company for you is quite easy. Essentially every driver who carries insurance coverage will more than likely be able to lower their premiums. But consumers do need to know the way companies price online insurance and apply this information to your search.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies offering auto insurance do not advertise every discount very well, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance.

  • Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.
  • Employee of Federal Government – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off for Protege coverage with select insurance companies.
  • Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
  • Accident Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less when compared with bad drivers.
  • Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Mazda could be rewarded with a substantially lower rate.
  • E-sign – Some insurance companies will give a small break simply for signing online.
  • Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
  • Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.

Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most cut specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.

To see a list of insurers offering auto insurance discounts, click here.

Tailor your coverage to you

When buying coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.

  • When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
  • How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in my state?
  • Are rental cars covered under my policy?
  • When should I not file a claim?
  • Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
  • When would I need additional glass coverage?
  • What if I owe more than I can insure my car for?
  • Is my Mazda Protege covered if I use it for business?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Insurance specifics

Understanding the coverages of a insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the normal coverages available from insurance companies.

Comprehensive insurance

This coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as hail damage, fire damage, damage from flooding, hitting a deer and falling objects. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Liability insurance

Liability insurance provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people. Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show limits of 25/50/25 which stand for a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability insurance covers things such as emergency aid, medical services, repair costs for stationary objects, pain and suffering and court costs. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible.

Collision protection

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as driving through your garage door, backing into a parked car, scraping a guard rail, crashing into a ditch and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.

Coverage for medical expenses

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses like ambulance fees, X-ray expenses, prosthetic devices, funeral costs and doctor visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Buy Smart and Save

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to lower your 1997 Mazda Protege insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the most savings is with some of the smallest insurance companies. They may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

Budget-conscious insurance can be bought both online in addition to many insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

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