2001 Ford Explorer Car Insurance Rates – 6 Ideas for Cheapest Quotes

People who are new to buying insurance online can find buying affordable insurance is not as easy as it seems.

Smart consumers take time to compare rates before your policy renews since insurance rates change regularly. Just because you found the best rates on Explorer coverage a couple years back you can probably find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the best methods to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.

Finding affordable coverage is not rocket science. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these methods. But drivers do need to know how companies sell insurance online because it can help you find the best coverage.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the best known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using.

  • Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save up to 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
  • Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
  • Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
  • Own a Home – Being a homeowner can save you money because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
  • Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
  • Multiple Vehicles – Having multiple vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky.

A partial list of companies who might offer some of the above discounts include:

It’s a good idea to ask each company what discounts are available to you. Discounts might not be offered in your state.

How to Buy Auto Insurance Online

To find the best auto insurance prices, there are several ways to get quotes and find the best price. The simplest method to find the cheapest 2001 Ford Explorer insurance rates consists of shopping online. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

  1. The first (and easiest) way to find low rates is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This type of form keeps you from doing repetitive form entry for each company. One simple form gets you price quotes from all major companies. This is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time.
  2. A more time consuming way to get quotes online consists of going to the website of each company and request a quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want rates from Auto-Owners, Allstate and Farmers. To find out each rate you need to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is quicker.

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

  3. The least efficient way of getting rate comparisons is driving to insurance agents’ offices. The internet can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you prefer the professional guidance of a licensed agent. It is possible to comparison shop online but buy from a local insurance agent and you’ll learn how to do that later.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but be sure to compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles for each comparison quote. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles you can’t possibly decipher which rate is best. Having just a slight variation in limits may result in a large different in cost. And when price shopping your coverage, having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting better pricing.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

These are some specific questions might help in determining whether you might need professional guidance.

  • Am I covered if I break a side mirror?
  • Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?
  • I have health insurance so do I need medical payments coverage?
  • Where can I find high-risk insurance?
  • Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
  • Do I need more liability coverage?
  • Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Advertising myths

Geico, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you switch your policy. How can each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a profitable customer could possibly be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. Any new insured who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who don’t meet the “perfect” profile must pay higher premiums and ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s why companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. This illustrates why it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. It’s not possible to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest Ford Explorer insurance rates.

Parts of your car insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

UM/UIM Coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Ford Explorer.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Collision insurance

Collision insurance pays for damage to your Explorer from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers claims such as backing into a parked car, damaging your car on a curb, colliding with a tree and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses like rehabilitation expenses, chiropractic care, pain medications, nursing services and X-ray expenses. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. They cover you and your occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Liability coverages

This can cover damage that occurs to other people or property. It protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage protects against things like medical services, emergency aid, loss of income, funeral expenses and structural damage. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like theft, a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, falling objects and hail damage. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Saving money makes a lot of cents

Lower-priced 2001 Ford Explorer insurance can be found from both online companies as well as from independent agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection. Some companies don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Insureds leave their current company for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, high prices, high rates after DUI convictions and even poor customer service. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new insurance company can be less work than you think.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, an insured dropped collision coverage only to discover later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

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