Want better car insurance rates for your Ford Focus ST? Being forced to pay for high-priced car insurance premiums can take a big chunk out of your funds and put a big crunch on your finances. Shopping your coverage around can help to lower your bills every month.
There is such a variety of car insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s a good thing to have multiple companies, more choices can make it harder to compare company pricing.
Smart consumers take time to check car insurance prices as often as possible due to the fact that insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. Just because you had the lowest rates for Focus ST coverage a few years ago you may be paying too much now. There are a lot of ways to save on car insurance online but in a few minutes you can learn some of the best ways to save money.
Some providers don’t always publicize every discount they offer very clearly, so the list below contains a few of the more well known in addition to some of the lesser obvious ways to save on insurance. If you are not receiving all the discounts possible, you may be paying too high a price.
As a footnote on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Even though the math looks like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount should help lower your insurance premiums.
To locate companies with the best discounts, click this link.
There are several ways to compare insurance coverage quotes, and some are easier and takes less work. You can waste a few hours (or days) driving to insurance agencies in your area, or you can stay home and use the web to quickly compare rates.
Most major companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to complete one form, and each company can give them a price based on that information. This saves time by eliminating quote requests for each company you want a rate for. To get comparison pricing now click to open in new window.
The single downside to comparing rates this way is you can’t choose which providers you want pricing from. If you would rather choose specific providers to receive pricing from, we have a listing of insurance coverage companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
Whichever way you use, be sure you’re using equivalent coverage limits and deductibles on every price quote you get. If you enter differing limits it will be impossible to make an equal comparison. Just a small difference in insurance coverages or limits can make a big difference in price. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies helps you find better pricing. Some companies don’t provide prices over the internet, so it’s recommended that you also compare quotes on coverage from those companies, too.
When buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions may help highlight whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area.
Knowing the specifics of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find the normal coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses for things like surgery, funeral costs and pain medications. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This protects you and your vehicle when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Liability auto insurance – This will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. It protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage protects against claims like emergency aid, court costs, pain and suffering and attorney fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.
Comprehensive protection – Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like fire damage, damage from getting keyed, theft and hitting a bird. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance covers damage to your Focus ST resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for things such as sideswiping another vehicle, rolling your car, colliding with a tree, sustaining damage from a pot hole and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Some insurance companies may not have price quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through independent agencies. Budget-friendly insurance is possible on the web in addition to many insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture.
We covered quite a bit of information on how to shop for 2016 Ford Focus ST insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get car insurance rates for, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive car insurance. Drivers may discover the best rates are with a small mutual company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate and Progressive.
Additional insurance information can be found at the links below