2004 Dodge Stratus Insurance Rates

Want lower insurance rates? Drivers have a choice when trying to find the lowest priced Dodge Stratus insurance. You can either waste hours calling around trying to get quotes or use the internet to make rate comparisons.

There are both good and bad ways to compare insurance rates and you need to know the proper way to compare rates for a new or used Dodge and find the cheapest rates either online or from local insurance agents.

You should take the time to check insurance prices every six months since rates tend to go up over time. Just because you had the lowest price on Stratus coverage a few years ago you may be paying too much now. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to how to use the internet to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

Take advantage of discounts

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but a few need to be specially asked for before being credited. If you aren’t receiving every discount available, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a discount up to 10% on Stratus coverage.
  • Defensive Driver – Completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down on your Dodge could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Seat Belts Save – Requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
  • Good Student Discount – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
  • Homeowners Savings – Owning a home may trigger a insurance policy discount because owning a home shows financial diligence.
  • Club Memberships – Being a member of a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for insurance on Stratus coverage.
  • Discount for Life Insurance – Some companies give a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
  • Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

For a list of insurers with discount insurance rates, click here to view.

Factors influencing Dodge Stratus insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

The list below includes some of the items companies use to determine your rates.

  • Where you live – Choosing to live in small towns and rural areas has it’s advantages when it comes to auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents and a lower car theft rate.
  • Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates. If your Dodge Stratus earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website it is probably cheaper to insure.
  • Optional equipment can affect rates – Driving a car with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder auto theft.
  • Being married is a good thing – Having a spouse helps lower the price on auto insurance. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
  • Sex matters – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. They both tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the males cause more damage. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are several times more likely to be in an accident and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.

How to know if you need help

When buying coverage, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different.

Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

  • Where can I find high-risk insurance?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
  • If my 2004 Dodge Stratus is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
  • Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
  • Is upholstery damage covered by car insurance?

If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.

Insurance ads bend the truth

Consumers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings by companies like State Farm and Allstate. They all make the same claim about savings if you change to them.

But how can every company claim to save you money?

Different companies can use profiling for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer might be a mature driver, owns a home, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged higher rates and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. This is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.

That is why you need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Specific coverage details

Having a good grasp of your insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement.

Liability car insurance

This provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

It consists of 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 liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have 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. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage protects against things such as bail bonds, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.

Coverage for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses like rehabilitation expenses, X-ray expenses, nursing services, funeral costs and prosthetic devices. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover all vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole, scraping a guard rail, hitting a parking meter and colliding with a tree. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Comprehensive coverages

Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as hitting a deer, theft, damage from flooding and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

The bottom line

Cost effective 2004 Dodge Stratus insurance is available both online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. A few companies may not provide online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

Drivers change insurance companies for many reasons like not issuing a premium refund, delays in responding to claim requests, policy non-renewal and denial of a claim. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new insurance company can be less work than you think.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The aim is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

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