Are you a victim of an overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you you’re not the only one. Popular companies such as Geico, Farmers Insurance and State Farm promote their brand names with ads and consumers find it hard to separate fact from fiction and do the work needed to find the best deal.
If you are insured now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Finding affordable coverage is quite easy. Drivers only need an understanding of the most efficient way to shop for insurance online.
Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.
Effectively comparing auto insurance prices can take time and effort if you aren’t aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a few hours (or days) discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize the web to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Most of the larger companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to complete one form, and at least one company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This eliminates the need for quote forms for each company.
To participate in this free quote system, click to open in new window.
The only drawback to comparing rates this way is you cannot specify the companies you want to price. If you wish to select specific providers for rate comparison, we put together a list of low cost auto insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just compare identical information on every quote. If you compare different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to decipher which rate is best.
Drivers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make an identical promise about savings if you switch your policy.
How do they all say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a preferred risk could possibly be between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has a short commute. Any driver who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential customers who don’t meet these standards will have to pay a more expensive rate which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.
Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to get as many quotes as possible. It’s not possible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there are discounts available to help offset the cost. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but less common discounts must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.
It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will cut your overall premium however.
Insurance companies that possibly offer these discounts include:
Check with every prospective company which discounts they offer. Savings may not be available in every state.
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no one size fits all plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions may help you determine whether you might need professional guidance.
If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, free and can help protect your family.
Knowing the specifics of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find typical coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Auto liability
This protects you from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers claims such as structural damage, funeral expenses and court costs. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, rock chips in glass, hitting a deer, falling objects and damage from getting keyed. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses like dental work, funeral costs and ambulance fees. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Acura RDX.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Normally these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Collision coverage protection
This coverage covers damage to your RDX resulting from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, driving through your garage door and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Affordable 2012 Acura RDX insurance is attainable on the web and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies may not provide online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
In this article, we covered a lot of ways to compare insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Drivers may discover the most savings is with the smaller companies. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice full coverage and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
Additional car insurance information can be read at these links: