Lower Your 1998 Nissan Altima Insurance Quotes

Trying to find better insurance coverage rates for your Nissan Altima? Expensive insurance coverage can empty your checking account, especially in this economy. Comparing price quotes is free and is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill.

Many insurance companies vie to insure your vehicles, so it can be very hard to choose a company and get the best coverage at the best rates possible.

If you have car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Buying car insurance is not that difficult. But vehicle owners need to learn the methods companies use to price online insurance.

Compare the Market for Insurance Coverage

Effectively comparing insurance coverage prices can take time and effort if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you can stay home and use the internet to get rates in a matter of minutes.

The majority of car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and each participating company then returns a price quote for coverage. This saves time by eliminating quote requests to every company.

To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now click here to open in new window.

One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is buyers cannot specifically choose which carriers to get quotes from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of the cheapest insurance coverage companies in your area. Click to view list.

It’s up to you which method you use, but make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples information for each comparison quote. If you are comparing different liability limits it will be impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Nissan Altima. Slightly different coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. And when comparison shopping, getting more free quotes provides better odds of finding the best offered rates.

Best discounts on 1998 Nissan Altima coverage

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there could be available discounts to cut the cost considerably. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but a few must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

  • Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
  • Student in College – Kids in college living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • E-sign – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks simply for signing on their website.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
  • Drivers Ed for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in high school.
  • Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.
  • Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current policy expires. It can save you around 10%.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck. But all discounts will cut the cost of coverage.

Insurance companies that may offer these money-saving discounts may include but are not limited to:

It’s a good idea to ask all companies you are considering which discounts you may be entitled to. Savings might not apply in your area.

Tailor your coverage to you

When buying coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions might help in determining whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • When should I buy a commercial auto policy?
  • Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
  • Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
  • Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
  • What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
  • Is my state a no-fault state?
  • Are rental cars covered under my policy?
  • Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?

If you can’t answer these questions, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

Why your Nissan Altima insurance rates may be high

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to big savings.

  • Better credit means lower rates – Your credit rating is a big factor in determining what you pay for insurance. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit scores. Therefore, if your credit history can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your 1998 Nissan Altima by improving your credit score.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment – Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all hinder auto theft.
  • Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Many insurers give discounts to customers who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, you may still want to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still find better rates by buying insurance from more than one company.
  • Your age impacts your rates – Teen drivers tend to be less responsible when behind the wheel so they pay higher insurance rates. Older insureds tend to be more responsible, file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
  • Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safer cars reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders. If the Nissan Altima earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it may be receiving lower rates.
  • Proper usage rating affects rates – Driving more miles each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates than those used for commuting. Make sure your insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage. Incorrect usage on your Altima can result in significantly higher rates.
  • Do you have a high stress job? – Did you know your insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like judges, social workers and financial analysts tend to have higher average rates due to high stress and lengthy work days. Conversely, professions such as farmers, engineers and performers receive lower rates for Altima coverage.
  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are many extra bells and whistles that you can buy on your insurance policy. Things like personal injury protection, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.

Insurance coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find the usual coverages offered by insurance companies.

Auto liability

Liability coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as pain and suffering, bail bonds, legal defense fees, repair costs for stationary objects and emergency aid. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Nissan Altima.

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 is very important. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Auto collision coverage

This coverage pays for damage to your Altima resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against claims like rolling your car, colliding with a tree, hitting a mailbox and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for short-term medical expenses for things like rehabilitation expenses, nursing services, doctor visits and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive auto coverage

This covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a bird and fire damage. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Don’t break the bank

We just covered many ways to lower your 1998 Nissan Altima insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.

Cheap insurance can be found on the web and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some auto insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, an accident victim reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price.

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