No one in their right mind cherishes buying car insurance, in particular when the price is too high.
You have so many car insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have a choice, too many choices makes it more difficult to find the best rates.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
All major insurance coverage companies provide prices for coverage on their websites. Obtaining pricing is quite easy as you simply enter your required coverages as requested by the quote form. After you submit the form their rating system sends out for information on your driving record and credit history and generates pricing information determined by many factors. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to a lot of sites and enter the same data into a form gets old quite quickly. But it’s very important to do this if you want to find a lower rate.
Compare rates the easy way
The smarter way to find better insurance coverage pricing requires only one form to return rates from several different companies. It’s a real time-saver, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes comparison shopping much easier to do. As soon as the form is sent, it is quoted and you are able to buy any or none of the quotes that you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. This process takes just a few minutes to complete and you will know how your current rates stack up.
If you want to compare pricing, click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you enter deductibles and limits exactly as shown on your declarations page. Doing this assures you will get a fair comparison for the exact same coverage.
Insurance coverage providers like Progressive, Allstate and Geico continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all have a common claim that you’ll save big after switching to their company. How can each company claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the right customer they prefer to insure. For example, a driver they prefer might be between 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who do not match these standards will have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently claim big savings. Because of the profiling, you need to get as many quotes as possible. It’s not possible to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.
Companies don’t necessarily list all available discounts very clearly, so we break down both well-publicized and the more hidden ways to save on insurance.
Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, insurance companies aren’t that generous.
To see a list of insurance companies with discount insurance rates, follow this link.
When it comes to buying coverage, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether you could use an agent’s help.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Understanding the coverages of a insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages offered by insurance companies.
Auto liability – This coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you against other people’s claims, and 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. As an example, you may have values of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – This pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a broken windshield, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane and hitting a deer. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Collision – Collision coverage covers damage to your MKZ caused by collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as colliding with another moving vehicle, scraping a guard rail and hitting a mailbox. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical expense insurance – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses for things like doctor visits, prosthetic devices, ambulance fees, funeral costs and hospital visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
The cheapest 2015 Lincoln MKZ insurance can be found online and with local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.
You just read quite a bit of information on how to save on insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as Geico and State Farm.