Sick and tired of scraping the payment together to buy car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other drivers.
Lots of auto insurance companies contend for your business, so it’s not easy to compare every insurance company and get the best coverage at the best price available.
You need to price shop coverage yearly because rates tend to go up over time. Just because you found the best rates on S40 coverage six months ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Block out anything you think you know about insurance coverage because we’re going to demonstrate the things you must know in order to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
To find the best insurance prices, there are several ways of comparing price quotes from local insurance companies. The best method to find the cheapest 2000 Volvo S40 insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.
Whichever way you use, double check that you are using exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If your comparisons have differing limits it’s not possible to decipher which rate is best. Quoting even small variations in limits can make a big difference in price. And when price shopping your coverage, getting more free quotes helps you find the best price.
Insurance providers like State Farm and Allstate regularly use ads in print and on television. They all make the same claim about savings if you move your coverage to them. But how can every company claim to save you money?
All companies have a preferred profile for the driver they prefer to insure. For instance, a desirable insured could be between 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.
Drivers who fall outside the requirements will have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save money. That’s the way companies can advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to compare many company’s rates. Because you never know which company will fit your personal profile best.
Companies that sell car insurance don’t necessarily list all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the more common and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
A partial list of companies that possibly offer these discounts include:
Before buying, ask all companies you are considering which discounts they offer. All car insurance discounts may not be available in your state.
When it comes to choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions can help discover whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Learning about specific coverages of your insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages found on most insurance policies.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, rock chips in glass and theft. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverages – Collision insurance pays for damage to your S40 from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things such as colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a ditch, crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Coverage for medical expenses – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses such as surgery, ambulance fees, doctor visits, dental work and hospital visits. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Auto liability insurance – This protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers things like medical expenses, court costs, pain and suffering and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Volvo S40.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Cheaper 2000 Volvo S40 insurance can be purchased from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance coverage companies may not provide online quoting and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
We covered a lot of information how to lower your insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the best price on insurance coverage is with the smaller companies. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm or Progressive.