Nobody I know likes paying for insurance, particularly when the price is too high.
Insurance companies such as Progressive, State Farm and Geico constantly bombard you with TV and radio ads and it is difficult to avoid their marketing magic and find the best price available.
If you have car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Choosing the best insurance company for you is not rocket science. But drivers must learn the way insurance companies market on the web and apply this information to your search.
It’s important that you understand the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for insurance. Knowing what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower insurance prices.
Comparing insurance coverage rates can be a lot of work if you don’t understand the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to get prices fast.
Most of the larger companies belong to a marketplace where prospective buyers enter their coverage request one time, and at least one company then returns a price quote for coverage. This saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions to every company.
To access this free quoting program, click here (opens in new window).
The only downside to using this type of form is buyers cannot specifically choose which providers you will receive quotes from. So if you want to select specific providers to compare prices, we have a page of low cost insurance coverage companies in your area. Click here to view list.
It’s up to you which method you use, but double check that you are using identical information on every quote. If the quotes have different deductibles it will be impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Mercury Monterey. Slightly different coverage limits could mean much higher rates. And when quoting insurance coverage, remember that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates.
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. Some discounts apply automatically when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically before they will apply.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates you could get a free car insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will cut the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates, follow this link.
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Understanding the coverages of a insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are the normal coverages found on the average insurance policy.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hitting a deer, hail damage, falling objects and fire damage. The highest amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision insurance
This will pay to fix damage to your Monterey from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail, driving through your garage door and colliding with a tree. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Liability coverage
This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property that is your fault. It protects you against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Coverage consists of three different limits, 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 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, emergency aid, funeral expenses and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.
Insurance for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for short-term medical expenses such as ambulance fees, surgery, dental work and funeral costs. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your Mercury Monterey.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Normally the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to lower your 2005 Mercury Monterey insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the most savings is with a small local company. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
Lower-priced insurance can be found both online as well as from independent agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
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