Wish you could get a refund on overpriced auto insurance? Believe me when I say there are many people just like you. Because there are so many insurance providers from which to choose, it is very difficult to find the most cost effective insurance company.
Finding the cheapest auto insurance coverage is quite easy. If you have a current auto insurance policy or need a new policy, you can use these tips to cut your premiums and possibly find even better coverage. Drivers just need to know how to get comparison rates on the web.
Effectively comparing insurance prices can be a lot of work if you don’t know the most efficient way. You can waste hours talking to insurance agencies in your area, or you can stay home and use the internet to get rates in a matter of minutes.
All the larger companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and each participating company then returns a price quote for coverage. This saves time by eliminating quote forms to each company. To access this free quoting program, click here (opens in new window).
The one downside to using this type of form is buyers cannot specifically choose the insurers you want pricing from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to compare, we have a page of companies who write insurance in your area. Click to view list.
The approach you take is up to you, just double check that you are using nearly identical coverage information for every company. If your comparisons have differing limits it’s impossible to make a fair rate comparison.
Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down a few of the more well known as well as some of the hidden credits that may apply to you.
One last thing about discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, insurance coverage companies aren’t that generous.
For a list of insurance coverage companies who offer online insurance coverage quotes, click this link.
Many different elements are used when pricing auto insurance. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, but some are less obvious like your continuous coverage and annual miles driven.A large part of saving on auto insurance is knowing some of the things that go into determining your premiums. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that can earn you lower premium levels.
The following are some of the most rate-impacting factors used by insurance companies to determine premiums.
When it comes to choosing the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions might point out whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.
Knowing the specifics of auto insurance can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the normal coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
This provides protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Volkswagen Golf.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
This coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as falling objects, hail damage and a broken windshield. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability
This coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property by causing an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage protects against things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, legal defense fees, medical expenses and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Insurance for medical payments
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for bills such as pain medications, rehabilitation expenses and ambulance fees. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision coverage protection
Collision insurance pays for damage to your Golf from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things such as colliding with a tree, sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Some insurance companies do not provide rate quotes online and these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent agents. Cost effective 2017 Volkswagen Golf insurance is available from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. Too many times, an insured dropped liability coverage limits and learned later that it was a big error on their part. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
We covered a lot of techniques to get a better price on 2017 Volkswagen Golf insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These smaller insurers may only write in your state and offer lower premium rates compared to the large companies like Progressive or Geico.
More tips and info about auto insurance can be read in these articles: