How Much Does 1997 Volkswagen Passat Insurance Cost?

Trying to find better auto insurance rates for your Volkswagen Passat? Paying for high-priced Volkswagen Passat insurance can drain your savings account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Doing a price comparison is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

You have multiple auto insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, it makes it harder to find the best rates for your vehicles.

These discounts can slash insurance coverage rates

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we researched some of the best known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.

  • Paperless Signup – A few companies give back up to $50 simply for signing over the internet.
  • Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
  • Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home can help you save on insurance coverage because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
  • Employee of Federal Government – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount for Passat insurance with a few insurance coverage companies.
  • Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on the same insurance coverage policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less for Passat insurance than drivers with accidents.
  • Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
  • Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
  • Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower rates.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

Insurance companies that possibly offer these benefits are:

Check with each insurance company which discounts they offer. Some discounts might not be offered everywhere.

Insurance Prices Online

The are a couple different ways of comparing rates from insurance companies in your area. The fastest way to find the cheapest 1997 Volkswagen Passat insurance rates is to get quotes online. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

  • One of the best ways to find low rates is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions to each individual insurance company. One form submission gets you coverage quotes from all major companies.
  • A less efficient way to shop for insurance online requires a visit to each company’s website and fill out their own quote form. For instance, we’ll assume you want comparison quotes from Nationwide, Esurance and State Farm. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular.

    For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just compare identical coverages with every price quote. If you have different liability limits you will not be able to make an equal comparison. Having just a slight variation in limits may result in a large different in cost. It’s important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps you find the best offered rates.

Factors that can influence Volkswagen Passat insurance rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better insurance rates.

  • Liability insurance protects assets – Liability insurance is the protection if ever you are found to be at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
  • More people means more accidents – Choosing to live in less populated areas has it’s advantages when buying insurance. Less people living in that area means a lower chance of having an accident as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated areas tend to have congested traffic and longer commute times. Longer commute distances can result in more accidents.
  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t careful. Coverages like personal injury protection, accidental death and motor club memberships are some examples. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them get rid of them and save.
  • Poor driving leads to higher costs – Whether or not you get tickets has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Only having one citation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets like DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
  • Women pay lower rates – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. Both sexes have accidents at a similar rate, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
  • Safer occupants lowers premiums – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Volkswagen Passat is rated at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it is probably cheaper to insure.
  • Younger drivers pay higher rates – Older insureds are more cautious drivers, file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Young drivers are known to be less responsible when behind the wheel and because of this, their insurance rates are much higher.
  • Optional equipment can affect rates – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent car theft.

When might I need the advice of an agent?

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions might help in determining whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

  • Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?
  • Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
  • How much liability insurance is required?
  • Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
  • Should I waive the damage coverage when renting a car?
  • Who is covered by my policy?
  • Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
  • Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
  • Am I covered if I break a side mirror?
  • Do I need an umbrella policy?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Don’t be fooled by advertising claims

Insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive consistently run ads on TV and radio. They all seem to say the same thing about savings if you change to them. But how can every company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and drives newer vehicles. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will get very good rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Drivers who do not match the requirements will be charged higher prices and this can result in business not being written. The ads state “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s the way companies can advertise the way they do. That is why you should get a wide range of price quotes. It’s not possible to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

Car insurance 101

Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the usual coverages offered by car insurance companies.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Volkswagen Passat.

Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses like prosthetic devices, pain medications and funeral costs. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Coverage for collisions

This coverage pays for damage to your Passat resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers claims such as damaging your car on a curb, sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter and scraping a guard rail. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Auto liability

This protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not 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 liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, funeral expenses and court costs. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but consider buying as much as you can afford.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for things like vandalism, falling objects, a broken windshield and fire damage. The maximum payout your car insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Be a smart shopper

When shopping online for auto insurance, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits only to find out that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price.

Affordable 1997 Volkswagen Passat insurance is definitely available from both online companies and with local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.

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