Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me when I say there are many people just like you.
Many car insurance companies compete for your hard-earned dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every company to find the best rate
If you have car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Finding affordable coverage is not that difficult. Although vehicle owners must understand the methods companies use to market on the web and take advantage of how the system works.
Effectively comparing insurance coverage prices can be exhausting if you aren’t aware of the best way to get rate quotes. You can waste hours talking to insurance agencies in your area, or you could use online quotes to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Most of the best insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and at least one company can provide price quotes based on that information. This system prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions to every company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click here to open in new window.
One minor caviat to doing it this way is that you can’t choose the companies you want pricing from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies for rate comparison, we have a page of companies who write insurance coverage in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just make sure you use exactly the same information for every company. If each company quotes different deductibles then you won’t be able to truly determine the lowest rate. Quoting even small variations in coverage limits can make a big difference in price. And when comparing insurance coverage rates, know that having more price comparisons provides better odds of finding better pricing.
Auto insurance companies such as Geico, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. They all seem to have a common claim that you’ll save big after switching to their company. How can each company say the same thing?
Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” gets the lowest rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who are not a match for the requirements will have to pay more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads say “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do.
Because of the profiling, drivers should get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining your insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with lower insurance prices.
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but a few need to be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free auto insurance policy, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will cut your premiums.
Companies that possibly offer these discounts include:
It’s a good idea to ask every prospective company which discounts they offer. Discounts may not be available in your state.
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions might point out if your situation might need professional guidance.
If you can’t answer these questions, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the usual coverages found on most auto insurance policies.
Comprehensive auto coverage
Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like rock chips in glass, damage from flooding and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Medical payments and PIP coverage
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for bills for things like nursing services, doctor visits and funeral costs. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Dodge Ram Wagon.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Collision protection
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers claims like scraping a guard rail, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability auto insurance
This will cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for 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 one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage pays for claims like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, funeral expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but consider buying higher limits if possible.
Throughout this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to compare 1993 Dodge Ram Wagon insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from the smaller companies. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.
As you shop your coverage around, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal should be to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.