Compare 2005 Ford Escape Insurance Quotes

Trying to find cheaper auto insurance rates for your Ford Escape? Finding and buying car insurance is not a task drivers relish, but it’s required in every state in order to satisfy compulsory insurance requirements.

Choosing the best insurance company for you is not rocket science. Just about anyone who is shopping for insurance coverage will be able to lower their premiums. But car owners must know the way companies compete online and use this information to your advantage.

Free Car Insurance Quotes

To find the best car insurance prices, there are several ways of comparing rate quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The easiest way to find the cheapest 2005 Ford Escape insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

  • Probably the best way to compare a lot of rates at once would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for each company. Filling out one form compares rates from many national carriers. Just one form and you’re done.
  • Another way to get comparison quotes consists of going to each company’s website and fill out their own quote form. For examples sake, we’ll pretend you want rates from Geico, Allstate and Travelers. To find out each rate you need to go to every website and enter your information, which is why most consumers use the first method.

    To view a list of companies in your area, click here.

  • The least recommended way of getting rate comparisons is driving around to and from local insurance agencies. Buying insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you want the trained guidance of a local agent. However, consumers can price shop online but still have the advice of a local agent.

It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If the quotes have mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to make an equal comparison. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages may result in large price differences. Just remember that more quotes provides better odds of finding the best price.

Misconceptions in insurance coverage advertisements

Insurance coverage providers like Allstate, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads on television and other media. They all make the same claim of big savings if you change your coverage to them. How does each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer might be over the age of 50, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don’t meet the “perfect” profile will be charged higher prices which leads to business going elsewhere. The ads say “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. This is how companies can make the claims of big savings. That is why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. You cannot predict which insurance coverage company will fit your personal profile best.

Save with discounts on Ford Escape insurance

Car insurance companies don’t always advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the harder-to-find car insurance savings.

  • Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in school.
  • Safety Course Discount – Taking a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Accident Waiver – A handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.
  • Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.

It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you could get a free car insurance policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

A partial list of companies that may have these money-saving discounts include:

Double check with all companies you are considering what discounts are available to you. Some discounts might not apply in every state.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

For example, these questions might point out whether or not you could use an agent’s help.

  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • Is my ex-spouse still covered by my policy?
  • How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
  • What is UM/UIM insurance?
  • Am I covered if I break a side mirror?
  • Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
  • Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.

Car insurance coverages explained

Understanding the coverages of car insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Ford Escape.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as falling objects, fire damage and damage from flooding. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Medical expense insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for bills for ambulance fees, doctor visits, dental work, chiropractic care and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Auto liability insurance – Liability insurance provides protection from damage that occurs to other’s property or people that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability coverage pays for things like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, medical expenses, medical services and court costs. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against things like sideswiping another vehicle, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Saving money makes a lot of cents

Cheap 2005 Ford Escape insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When you buy insurance online, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that they should have had better coverage. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we presented many ways to reduce insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

Additional insurance information can be found on the following sites: