Are you sick and tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to buy car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other drivers.
Having so many different company options, it’s difficult to find the most cost effective provider.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.
Performing a rate comparison can be exhausting if you aren’t aware of the most efficient way. You could spend your day talking about coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you could use the internet to accomplish the same thing much quicker.
Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit their information once, and at least one company then returns a price quote based on that information. This eliminates the need for quote requests to every company.
To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).
One minor caviat to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which companies to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to compare, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in your area. Click to view list.
Which method you use is up to you, but ensure you’re using apples-to-apples coverage limits for each price quote. If you compare different deductibles you will not be able to make an equal comparison. Just a small difference in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. Keep in mind that getting more free quotes will increase your chances of finding better pricing.
Car insurance providers like State Farm, Allstate and Geico consistently run television and radio advertisements. They all make the same claim about savings if you change your policy. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.
Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver they prefer to insure. A good example of a profitable customer might be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has great credit. Any new insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when they switch companies.
Potential customers who don’t measure up to the requirements will be quoted a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can confidently claim big savings.
This emphasizes why drivers must get as many comparisons as possible. It’s not possible to predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but a few need to be inquired about before being credited.
Keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.
A partial list of companies that may have these discounts include:
Double check with each insurance company which discounts they offer. Discounts might not be offered in your state.
When it comes to buying the best insurance coverage coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Every situation is different so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions can help discover whether or not you could use an agent’s help.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Having a good grasp of insurance can help you determine the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverage types offered by insurance companies.
Collision coverages – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Sportage from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a building, backing into a parked car and damaging your car on a curb. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – This coverage provides protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Kia Sportage.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Normally these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses for things like surgery, prosthetic devices and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Auto liability – Liability coverage will cover damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 50/100/50 which means a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage pays for things like repair costs for stationary objects, emergency aid and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but buy as large an amount as possible.
Comprehensive auto coverage – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like theft, fire damage, hitting a bird, hail damage and a broken windshield. The most a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Lower-priced 2015 Kia Sportage insurance is definitely available both online as well as from independent agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where someone dropped liability coverage limits only to find out that they should have had better coverage. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.
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