Finding cheap insurance online can be challenging for consumers not familiar with price shopping online. Since there are so many companies competing online, how can drivers possibly compare the different rates to find the best price?
It is always a good idea to do rate comparisons every six months because rates fluctuate regularly. Just because you found the best deal for CR-Z insurance last year there may be better deals available now. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about insurance because it’s time to teach you how to use online quotes to remove unneeded coverages and save money.
If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to save some money using this strategy. This information will introduce you to how car insurance quotes work. But consumers do need to understand how insurance companies price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.
When shopping for insurance there are multiple ways to compare rate quotes and find the best price. The easiest way by far to compare 2014 Honda CR-Z insurance prices consists of shopping online. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing identical deductibles and coverage limits with each company. If you compare higher or lower deductibles then you won’t be able to determine the best price for your Honda CR-Z. Having just a slight variation in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. Keep in mind that comparing more company’s prices helps locate a lower rate.
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but discounts can save money and there are some available that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about before you will receive the discount.
It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But all discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.
A partial list of companies that may offer some of the above discounts are:
Before buying, ask each company which discounts they offer. Savings may not be available in your state.
When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every insured’s situation is different.
For example, these questions might help in determining whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.
Companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the ads have a common claim about savings if you move your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, has no driving citations, and chooses high deductibles. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential insureds who are not a match for these standards must pay more money and this can result in business not being written. The ad wording is “customers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can make the claims of big savings.
This illustrates why it’s extremely important to get as many quotes as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will have the lowest Honda CR-Z insurance rates.
Understanding the coverages of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Liability
Liability coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. It protects you against other people’s claims. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for things such as loss of income, bail bonds and legal defense fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but buy as much as you can afford.
Comprehensive auto coverage
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hail damage, fire damage and theft. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision insurance
Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things like hitting a mailbox, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Medical payments and PIP coverage
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills such as nursing services, chiropractic care, surgery and ambulance fees. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage
This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Honda CR-Z.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to compare 2014 Honda CR-Z insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a smaller regional carrier.
The cheapest insurance is possible from both online companies as well as from independent agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
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