Trying to find the cheapest auto insurance rates for your Ford Explorer? Are you drained from trying to scrape together enough money to make your auto insurance payment? You have the same problem as millions of other people.
Online insurance companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico constantly bombard you with catchy ads and consumers find it hard to ignore the promise of big savings and do the work needed to find the best deal.
Companies do not advertise every discount very clearly, so we researched some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts that you can inquire about if you buy insurance online.
One thing to note about discounts is that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But all discounts will cut your overall bill.
Some of the insurance companies that may have most of the discounts above are:
Double check with every insurance company to apply every possible discount. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be available in your area.
Effectively comparing insurance prices can take hours if you don’t know the best way to get rate quotes. You could waste time discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you could use online quoting to get the quickest rates.
All the larger companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to complete one form, and at least one company can provide price quotes determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests for each company.
To find out what other companies charge click to open in new window.
The one downside to using this type of system is that you can’t choose which companies to get pricing from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of low cost insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.
You can use whichever method you prefer to find lower rates, just double check that you are using apples-to-apples information on every price quote you get. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s not possible to determine the lowest rate for your Ford Explorer. Slightly different limits could throw off the whole comparison. It’s important to know that comparing a wide range of rates provides better odds of finding a lower rate.
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions may help highlight whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find the normal coverages offered by insurance companies.
Collision coverage – This coverage covers damage to your Explorer resulting from a 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 insurance covers things such as rolling your car, driving through your garage door, crashing into a ditch, backing into a parked car and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like damage from a tornado or hurricane, theft and hitting a bird. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Ford Explorer.
Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.
Auto liability – Liability coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000.
Liability insurance covers claims like court costs, emergency aid and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but buy as much as you can afford.
Medical expense insurance – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for short-term medical expenses for things like surgery, dental work and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
We just covered quite a bit of information on how to shop for 2018 Ford Explorer insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the lowest car insurance rates come from a small mutual company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
For more information, take a look at the following helpful articles: