Finding affordable car insurance is always challenging for people who are new to comparing rates online. Consumers have so many companies to choose from that it can easily become a challenge to find the best price.
Finding affordable coverage is not that difficult. Essentially every driver who buys insurance will most likely be able to lower their premiums. Although drivers do need to understand how the larger insurance companies sell insurance online.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in big savings.
Comparing insurance rates can take hours if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could save time and use the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.
Many companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and every company returns a competitive quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each individual insurance company.
To participate in this free quote system, click to open in new window.
One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify which carriers to get quotes from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to request quotes from, we have a listing of the cheapest insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you’re using exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits for each comparison quote. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles it’s not possible to truly determine the lowest rate. Quoting even small variations in limits may result in a large different in cost. And when comparing insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies will improve the odds of getting the best price.
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we researched some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.
Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
For a list of providers with discount insurance rates, click this link.
When it comes to choosing the best auto insurance coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different.
For instance, these questions could help you determine if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.
Having a good grasp of your policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Liability auto insurance
Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to people or other property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability insurance covers claims such as structural damage, attorney fees and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like theft, a broken windshield, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a bird and falling objects. The highest amount your 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.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills for X-ray expenses, nursing services, funeral costs, hospital visits and pain medications. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision protection
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers things such as sideswiping another vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Chevy Prizm.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.
Consumers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as poor customer service, lack of trust in their agent, denial of a claim and even being labeled a high risk driver. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new insurance coverage company can be easy and end up saving you some money.
When shopping online for insurance coverage, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
The cheapest 2001 Chevy Prizm insurance can be purchased online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance providers may not provide online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
More detailed insurance coverage information is available by following these links: