Expensive insurance can overdraw your personal savings and make it impossible to make ends meet. Shopping your coverage around is free and is an excellent way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
Big companies like State Farm, Allstate, Geico and Progressive continually hit you with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to ignore the promise of big savings and take the time to shop coverage around.
It’s important to compare rates quite often because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Even if you think you had the lowest rates for 900 coverage on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about insurance online, so we’re going to give you some tested techniques to reduce your insurance bill.
The fastest way that we advise to compare insurance rates in your area is to understand all the major auto insurance companies participate in online systems to provide you with a free rate quote. The one thing you need to do is give them rating details like what you do for a living, driver details, if a SR-22 is required, and whether your vehicle is owned or leased. Your insurance information is automatically sent to all major companies and they return rate quotes instantly to find the best rate.
When it comes to buying adequate coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions may help you determine whether or not you may require specific advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of insurance coverage companies in your area.
Learning about specific coverages of your insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the usual coverages found on most insurance policies.
Coverage for medical expenses – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for expenses such as surgery, ambulance fees, EMT expenses, X-ray expenses and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Saab 900.
Due to the fact that many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Frequently the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Comprehensive insurance – This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like hitting a deer, rock chips in glass and damage from flooding. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against things like hitting a mailbox, damaging your car on a curb and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Auto liability – This will cover damage that occurs to other people or property in an accident. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 that translate to a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability insurance covers things like medical expenses, funeral expenses and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.