How Much Does 1996 Mercury Cougar Car Insurance Cost?

Want better insurance coverage rates for your Mercury Cougar? Purchasing affordable insurance coverage over the internet can be impossible for consumers not familiar with online price comaprisons. With so many companies in the marketplace, how can drivers even start to compare every one to find the best available price?

Car Insurance Prices

Most companies give coverage prices on the web. Getting online quotes doesn’t take much effort as you just enter your required coverages into a form. Once entered, the system automatically orders your credit score and driving record and provides a quote based on many factors.

Being able to quote online simplifies rate comparisons, but the work required to visit many different websites and fill out multiple forms can be a bit repetitive. But it is imperative to have as many quotes as possible in order to get better prices.

The preferred way to lower your car insurance bill uses one simple form that obtains quotes from several companies at one time. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes online price comparison a lot less work. Immediately after submitting the form, it is rated and you can select any one of the quotes returned. If the quotes result in lower rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. It takes 15 minutes at the most and can result in significant savings.

To quickly compare rates using this form now, simply click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you enter the coverages identical to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will have comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Discounts are basically free money

Companies don’t list every discount very well, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving.

  • No Claims – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
  • Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% for Cougar insurance with select insurance companies.
  • Discount for New Cars – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
  • Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
  • No Charge for an Accident – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
  • Bundle and Save – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may save at least 10% off all policies.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

Companies that may have some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:

Before buying, ask all companies you are considering what discounts are available to you. Discounts might not apply in your state.

Pieces of the Mercury Cougar insurance rate puzzle

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining the rates you pay for insurance. Understanding what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into premiums.

  • Liability coverage is peace of mind – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you when a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. Liability provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
  • Special features that cut premiums – Purchasing a vehicle that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your insurance. Anti-theft devices like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
  • Pay less after the wedding – Having a wife or husband actually saves money on your policy. It means you’re more mature and responsible and statistics show drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • How your age affects price – Young drivers are statistically proven to be less responsible behind the wheel so they pay higher insurance rates. Parents adding a teen driver to your insurance policy can be quite pricey. Older drivers tend to be more responsible, file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.
  • Better credit means lower rates – Your credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. If your credit score is lower than you’d like, you could save money insuring your 1996 Mercury Cougar by improving your rating. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have poor credit.

Which insurance is the “right” coverage?

When buying coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Each situation is unique.

Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

  • Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
  • Is my state a no-fault state?
  • Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
  • Can my teen drive my company car?
  • Do I need an umbrella policy?
  • I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
  • I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
  • When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
  • Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.

The car insurance bait and switch

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Geico consistently run television and radio advertisements. They all seem to make the same claim that you can save if you change to their company. How does each company say the same thing?

All companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Drivers who don’t meet the “perfect” profile must pay higher premiums which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do. This illustrates why drivers should quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest Mercury Cougar insurance rates.

Specifics of your car insurance policy

Understanding the coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Coverage for medical expenses

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses such as prosthetic devices, pain medications, funeral costs, X-ray expenses and dental work. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive car insurance

Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, damage from flooding and fire damage. The most your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Auto collision coverage

Collision insurance pays for damage to your Cougar caused by collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for things like hitting a mailbox, scraping a guard rail, colliding with a tree and backing into a parked car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your 1996 Mercury Cougar.

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. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Liability coverages

This will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability can pay for claims such as medical expenses, funeral expenses, repair costs for stationary objects, medical services and attorney fees. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

Pennies from heaven

Cost effective 1996 Mercury Cougar insurance can be found on the web in addition to many insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to compare insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the best prices are with some of the smallest insurance companies.

Drivers leave their current company for many reasons like lack of trust in their agent, unfair underwriting practices, delays in paying claims or poor customer service. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a great new company can be easy and end up saving you some money.

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