Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. Big companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico persitently shower you with advertising and consumers find it hard to ignore the promise of big savings and do the work needed to find the best deal.
If you have a current insurance policy or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these tips to shop for the lowest rates and still get good coverage. Finding the best rates is quite easy. Drivers only need to know the tricks to compare prices online.
Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that play a part in calculating your insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay enables informed choices that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.
Companies do not list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the more common and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you are throwing money away.
It’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you could get a free insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Car insurance companies that possibly offer these benefits include:
Before buying, ask each insurance company what discounts are available to you. Savings might not apply in every state.
When it comes to buying the best insurance coverage coverage, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether you would benefit from professional advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance coverage companies in your area. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.
Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the usual coverages found on the average insurance policy.
Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Sidekick resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, driving through your garage door, colliding with a tree and damaging your car on a curb. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” 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.
Due to the fact that many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.
This provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people by causing an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability can pay for things such as medical expenses, bail bonds, structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and repair costs for stationary objects. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
This will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. 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 hail damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer, rock chips in glass and a broken windshield. The maximum amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like surgery, pain medications and dental work. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
When shopping online for car insurance, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate.
We just showed you a lot of techniques to lower your 1997 Suzuki Sidekick insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or Geico.
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