Nobody likes paying for auto insurance, especially knowing the price is too high. Lots of car insurance companies contend to insure your vehicles, so it can be very hard to choose a company to get the lowest cost out there.
It is always a good idea to compare prices before your policy renews because insurance rates trend upward over time. If you had the lowest rates on Cutlass insurance six months ago you will most likely find a better rate today. Starting right now, ignore everything you know about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you one of the easiest ways to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.
If you have a current insurance coverage policy or need a new policy, you can learn to get lower rates and still get good coverage. Finding the best rates is quite easy. Vehicle owners only need an understanding of the most effective way to compare prices online.
The method we recommend to compare insurance rates from multiple companies is to understand most of the bigger providers participate in a system to compare rate quotes. All you need to do is provide a small amount of information like if the vehicle is leased, if it has an anti-theft system, coverage limits, and what you do for a living. That rating data is instantly provided to multiple auto insurance providers and they respond with quotes instantly to find the best rate.
Consumers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you move your coverage to them.
But how can every company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of driver that earns them a profit. An example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. Any driver who matches those parameters will get very good rates and most likely will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile will be quoted a higher premium which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings.
This emphasizes why it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. You cannot predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but a few need to be specifically requested prior to receiving the credit. If you don’t get every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.
It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most cut specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way. But all discounts will cut your overall premium however.
To see a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates, click this link.
When buying coverage, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if your situation might need professional guidance.
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can provide invaluable advice.
Learning about specific coverages of your policy helps when choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are the usual coverages found on most auto insurance policies.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like vandalism, a broken windshield, hitting a bird and damage from flooding. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Liability coverages
This can cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property by causing an accident. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as medical expenses, emergency aid, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, bail bonds and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Medical expense insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for bills for nursing services, rehabilitation expenses and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision protection
Collision insurance pays for damage to your Cutlass from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as rolling your car, hitting a mailbox, colliding with another moving vehicle and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
We just presented some good ideas how you can get a better price on 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass insurance. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. Smaller companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
Budget-conscious insurance is definitely available on the web and with local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
Additional insurance information can be read at these links: