Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced insurance coverage policy? Trust us when we tell you you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse. Companies like Allstate and Progressive increase brand awareness with catchy ads and it is difficult to ignore the propoganda and take the time to shop coverage around.
If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to reduce the price you pay and possibly find even better coverage. Finding affordable coverage is not that difficult. Consumers just need to know the most efficient way to buy insurance online.
Car insurance can cost a lot, but discounts can save money and there are some available to cut the cost considerably. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you purchase, but some must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.
To see a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates, click this link.
When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For instance, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs may require specific advice.
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 don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.
Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Medical costs insurance – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills for rehabilitation expenses, pain medications and dental work. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This coverage covers 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 claims such as hail damage, damage from a tornado or hurricane, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and rock chips in glass. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability – This coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. It protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 that means you have a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as medical expenses, medical services, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but consider buying higher limits if possible.
UM/UIM Coverage – This provides protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Mazda CX-7.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Frequently these limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Collision – This pays for damage to your CX-7 from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims like scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building, hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped liability coverage limits and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
You just read many ways to compare 2012 Mazda CX-7 insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.
The cheapest insurance can be bought from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not provide online price quotes and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.