Car insurance shopping is not something drivers love to do, but it has to be done before you can go for a ride.
You need to compare prices quite often because rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you had the lowest price for Grand Am insurance on your last policy you will most likely find a better rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn the proper way to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Locating affordable auto insurance coverage is quite easy. But vehicle owners do need to know how the larger insurance companies price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.
Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that go into determining insurance coverage rates. Knowing what determines base rates enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
All major car insurance companies give pricing on their websites. Getting quotes is quite simple as you simply type in your personal and coverage information as requested by the quote form. After you submit the form the company’s rating system requests your driving and credit reports and returns a price.
This makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively fill out multiple forms gets old quite quickly. Unfortunately, it is important to do this in order to get the best price on car insurance.
Rate comparisons made easy
The quickest way to find lower prices uses one form to obtain quotes from more than one company. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes price shopping online much easier. Immediately after you send the form, it is quoted and you are able to buy any or none of the quote results.
If you find a better price you simply finish the application and purchase the new policy. This process takes 15 minutes at the most and may save quite a bit of money.
To save time and compare pricing, click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you replicate deductibles and limits identical to your current policy. This helps ensure you will receive a fair comparison using the exact same coverages.
Car insurance is not cheap, buy you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but some must be requested specifically before you get the savings.
A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will help reduce your premiums.
A partial list of companies who might offer these discounts include:
Check with each insurance company which discounts you may be entitled to. Discounts may not be available everywhere.
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if you will benefit from professional help.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form.
Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Collision insurance
Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, sideswiping another vehicle, driving through your garage door, crashing into a building and rolling your car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your 1998 Pontiac Grand Am.
Due to the fact that many 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 should not be overlooked. Usually these limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as damage from flooding, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Insurance for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like doctor visits, surgery, EMT expenses, pain medications and hospital visits. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Liability auto insurance
This will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see 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 can pay for claims such as medical expenses, medical services and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as large an amount as possible.
We just presented many ways to save on 1998 Pontiac Grand Am insurance. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from an unexpected company.
Cheaper insurance can be bought from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
People change insurance companies for any number of reasons including not issuing a premium refund, delays in responding to claim requests, an unsatisfactory settlement offer and even questionable increases in premium. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new car insurance company is less work than it seems.