If you’re new to shopping for car insurance online, you may be confused due to the large number of car insurance companies offering coverage.
This article will tell you the best way to quote coverages. If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. But car owners do need to learn the way companies price insurance differently and use this information to your advantage.
It’s important that you understand the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.
The list below includes some of the items companies use to determine prices.
Car insurance is not cheap, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but a few need to be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of providers offering insurance discounts, click here.
Companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. All the ads make the same claim about savings if you move your coverage to them. How can each company make almost identical claims?
Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured could be between the ages of 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.
Consumers who are not a match for these standards will be quoted a more expensive rate and this can result in the customer not buying. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.
This emphasizes why it’s extremely important to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s impossible to know which company will provide you with the cheapest Oldsmobile Cutlass insurance rates.
When it comes to buying coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form.
Knowing the specifics of auto insurance aids in choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Coverage for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for X-ray expenses, rehabilitation expenses and surgery. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive coverages – This 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 can pay for things like vandalism, a broken windshield, falling objects and damage from flooding. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision coverages – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers claims such as crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb and rolling your car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Liability insurance – This provides protection from damage or injury you incur to people or other property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for claims like bail bonds, emergency aid, medical expenses and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but buy as large an amount as possible.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This coverage provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Cheaper 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
We just covered many ideas to compare insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Drivers may discover the best price on insurance coverage is with some of the smallest insurance companies.
When shopping online for insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to find the BEST coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.