I can’t think of a single person who looks forward to buying insurance coverage, especially when they are paying too much. With consumers having so many choices of insurance companies, it is hard for the average consumer to locate the lowest price insurance company.
Smart consumers take time to shop coverage around periodically since rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you found the lowest price on Golf insurance a few years ago there may be better deals available now. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about insurance coverage because you’re about to learn the easiest way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there are discounts available that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about in order for you to get them. If you’re not getting every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will bring down your premiums.
For a list of companies with discount insurance rates, click here to view.
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.
When it comes to choosing coverage, there is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions can aid in determining if your situation would benefit from professional advice.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the ads say the same thing of big savings after switching to them.
But how can every company make the same claim?
All companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.
Potential customers who are not a match for the requirements must pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save money. This is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.
This illustrates why you absolutely need to get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict which company will fit your personal profile best.
Knowing the specifics of insurance aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverages offered by insurance companies.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your 1996 Volkswagen Golf.
Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Collision – Collision coverage pays for damage to your Golf from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things like crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail, driving through your garage door and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like vandalism, hitting a deer and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The most your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability car insurance – This coverage can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is a combined limit which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability insurance covers things like funeral expenses, legal defense fees and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.
Medical expense insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses like rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits, dental work and ambulance fees. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
We’ve covered a lot of information how to lower your 1996 Volkswagen Golf insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest priced insurance comes from the smaller companies. These companies often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like Geico and State Farm.
Cheap insurance can be found from both online companies as well as from independent agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.
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