Save on 2005 Pontiac Sunfire Insurance Rates

Consumers who are new to the process of comparing insurance rates online could find purchasing the lowest-priced auto insurance is more work than they anticipated.

Compare Quotes for Insurance Coverage

Comparing insurance coverage rates can be exhausting if you don’t understand the easiest way. You could spend the better part of a day driving to local insurance agents in your area, or you can stay home and use the internet to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Many companies participate in a marketplace that enables customers to enter their coverage request one time, and at least one company can provide price quotes based on that data. This saves time by eliminating quote requests for every insurance coverage company. To participate in this free quote system, click here to open in new window.

The one downside to using this type of form is you can’t choose which carriers you want pricing from. So if you want to choose individual companies to receive pricing from, we have a listing of the cheapest insurance coverage companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but make sure you use apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits with every price quote. If you have unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s not possible to make an equal comparison. Just a small difference in insurance coverages may result in a large different in cost. And when quoting insurance coverage, remember that comparing a large number of companies helps locate better pricing.

Beware of misleading insurance coverage ads

Companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the ads make the same claim that you’ll save big if you change to their company. How do they all make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, insures multiple vehicles, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and therefore will cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who don’t meet this ideal profile will be charged higher premiums which leads to business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings.

That is why you need to get as many comparisons as possible. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Pontiac Sunfire insurance rates can be determined by these details

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels enables informed choices that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.

  • More claims means more premium – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance companies generally give better rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. Car insurance is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
  • More miles equals more premium – The higher the mileage driven in a year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Cars not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your auto insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle. Incorrect usage on your Sunfire can cost quite a bit.
  • Credit scores impact auto insurance rates – Your credit history is a large factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your 2005 Pontiac Sunfire by improving your rating. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.
  • Males pay more for insurance – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women have accidents in similar percentages, but men cause more damage. Men also get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
  • Bad driving skills means higher rates – A bad driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Even one citation can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers receive lower rates than people who have multiple driving citations. If you have severe violations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may find they need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries means lower claim amounts passed on to you as lower rates. If the Pontiac Sunfire scored better than four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it is probably cheaper to insure.

Take discounts and save

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts to cut the cost considerably. Most are applied when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically in order for you to get them.

  • 55 and Retired – Mature drivers may qualify for a small decrease in premiums on Sunfire coverage.
  • Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Pontiac could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Multiple Vehicles – Insuring multiple vehicles on the same insurance coverage policy qualifies for this discount.
  • Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to complete a driver education course in school.
  • Homeowners Discount – Owning a home can save you money because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
  • No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared to drivers who are more careless.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will help reduce the amount you have to pay.

For a list of insurers offering insurance coverage discounts, follow this link.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s situation is unique.

Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining if you could use an agent’s help.

  • What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
  • Do I need more liability coverage?
  • Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
  • I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
  • When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
  • Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
  • Why do I only qualify for high-risk insurance?
  • Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form.

Insurance coverages and their meanings

Having a good grasp of insurance can be of help when determining the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection 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 Pontiac Sunfire.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Most of the time these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Liability insurance – This coverage will cover damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see values of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage protects against things like legal defense fees, attorney fees, medical services, medical expenses and court costs. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses like chiropractic care, EMT expenses, surgery and prosthetic devices. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover you and your occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive coverages – Comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, vandalism and hitting a deer. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision coverage – This pays for damage to your Sunfire caused by collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things like backing into a parked car, driving through your garage door, sustaining damage from a pot hole and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Quote often and quote early

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, an insured cut collision coverage only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The ultimate goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

Affordable 2005 Pontiac Sunfire insurance can be found both online in addition to many insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can shop for insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from the smaller companies.

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