Cheap 2008 Ford Escape Insurance Rates

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced insurance policy? Trust us, many consumers are feeling buyer’s remorse and feel like there’s no way out.

There is such a variety of insurance companies to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, lots of choices makes it harder to find the best rates.

Consumers need to get comparison quotes quite often since rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you think you had the lowest rates on Escape insurance six months ago a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of bad information regarding insurance on the internet, so I’m going to show you some great ideas on how to put money back in your pocket.

Shopping for the lowest cost insurance is quite easy. Essentially every vehicle owner who buys insurance should be able to find better rates. But vehicle owners benefit from understanding how insurance companies compete online because it can help you find the best coverage.

How to Compare Insurance Coverage Costs

Performing a rate comparison can be exhausting if you don’t utilize the easiest way. You can waste a few hours (or days) talking about coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you can stay home and use the web to quickly compare rates.

Most car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to send in one quote, and each company returns a rated price determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quote requests for every insurance coverage company.

To find out how much you can save on insurance coverage click here to open in new window.

The single downside to using this type of form is you are unable to specify which companies to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies for rate comparison, we have a page of companies who write insurance coverage in your area. Click to view list.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just be sure to compare apples-to-apples information on every quote you get. If you compare different liability limits it’s impossible to determine the best price for your Ford Escape. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing more company’s prices will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Pay less by taking advantage of discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied when you purchase, but some must be requested specifically before they will apply.

  • New Car Discount – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for new cars.
  • Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
  • Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have better rates if you take out life insurance.
  • Driver Safety – Completing a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
  • E-sign – Some insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you could get a free insurance coverage policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurance companies with the best insurance coverage discounts, follow this link.

Your coverage should be tailored to you

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.

  • Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
  • At what point should I drop full coverage?
  • Are my friends covered when driving my 2008 Ford Escape?
  • Should I bundle my homeowners policy with my auto?
  • How do I buy GAP insurance?
  • What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
  • Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
  • Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?

If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.

Some factors that can determine what Ford Escape insurance costs

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with better insurance rates.

  • More claims means more premium – Car insurance companies generally give better rates to drivers who do not file claims often. If you file claims often, you can expect either higher rates or even cancellation. Your insurance policy is designed for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
  • Poor driving leads to higher costs – Just one moving violation can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Careful drivers receive lower rates than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
  • High credit ratings translate to low rates – Credit history is a important factor in determining your rates. Therefore, if your credit rating is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your 2008 Ford Escape by repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with lower credit scores.
  • Your car’s features help determine rates – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your insurance. Anti-theft features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all aid in stopping car theft.
  • Don’t let your coverage lapse – Not having insurance is against the law and insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance lapse. And not only will insurance be more expensive, failure to provide proof of insurance will get you a steep fine or even jail time.You may need to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.

Slick advertising tricks that work

State Farm, Geico and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings if you move to their company. How does each company say the same thing?

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver they prefer to insure. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and therefore will save when switching.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements will have to pay a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can state the savings.

Because of the profiling, you absolutely need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings on Ford Escape insurance.

Educate yourself about auto insurance coverages

Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

UM/UIM Coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they 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 Ford Escape.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Medical costs insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses for things like prosthetic devices, surgery, funeral costs and X-ray expenses. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not universally available and may carry a deductible

Collision – Collision coverage covers damage to your Escape caused by collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against things like driving through your garage door, hitting a mailbox, rolling your car and colliding with a tree. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Auto liability – This can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. It protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for 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. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 that translate to a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.

Liability insurance covers things like loss of income, pain and suffering and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, rock chips in glass and fire damage. The maximum payout your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Shop smart and save

Cost effective 2008 Ford Escape insurance can be purchased from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. A few companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

When buying insurance coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we presented a lot of ways to compare insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest rates come from a small local company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive and Geico.

More resources