1998 Dodge Dakota Insurance Rates – 5 Discounts for Cheaper Quotes

Trying to find cheaper insurance rates for your Dodge Dakota? Searching for cheaper insurance for a Dodge Dakota can turn out to be a lot of work, but you can follow these tips to find lower rates.

There is a right way and a wrong way to compare insurance rates so we’re going to tell you the proper way to quote coverages for a Dodge and get the cheapest rates.

If you have a current car insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you can follow these tips to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Shopping for the lowest cost protection can be fairly easy. Consumers just need to understand the best way to compare prices over the internet.

Do you qualify for a discount?

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. Most are applied when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be requested specifically before being credited. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.
  • Club Memberships – Being a member of certain professional organizations could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance on Dakota coverage.
  • Accident Forgiveness – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
  • 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums on Dakota coverage.
  • Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.

For a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts, click here.

What coverages do I need?

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

These are some specific questions could help you determine if your insurance needs could use an agent’s help.

  • Should I buy full coverage?
  • Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
  • I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
  • Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
  • Do I need an umbrella policy?
  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
  • Do I need motorclub coverage?
  • When can my company non-renew my policy?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers can’t get away from ads for cheaper car insurance by Progressive, Allstate and Geico. All the companies make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you switch to their company.

How do they all make almost identical claims?

All companies have a certain “appetite” for the right customer that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 50, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” receives the best rates and therefore will pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential insureds who don’t meet the “perfect” profile will be charged a higher premium and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s why companies can make those claims.

That is why you should compare as many rates as you can. It is impossible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings on Dodge Dakota insurance.

Insurance coverages explained

Learning about specific coverages of your policy aids in choosing the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.

Collision coverages – This will pay to fix damage to your Dakota caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against things like backing into a parked car, rolling your car and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Coverage for medical payments – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses for things like funeral costs, prosthetic devices and X-ray expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive coverages – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as fire damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, vandalism and hail damage. The maximum payout a insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Dodge Dakota.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Auto liability – Liability coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage protects against claims like bail bonds, emergency aid, repair costs for stationary objects, attorney fees and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Shop around and save

Lower-priced 1998 Dodge Dakota insurance is attainable both online and with local insurance agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

People change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including poor customer service, delays in responding to claim requests, not issuing a premium refund or questionable increases in premium. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching companies can be less work than you think.

You just learned some good ideas how to lower your insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with an unexpected company.

Much more information about insurance is located at the links below