Are you irritated from sacrificing to keep your car insured? Your situation is no different than millions of other drivers. Since drivers have many options when it comes to auto insurance, it is hard for the average consumer to choose the lowest price insurer.
It is always a good idea to compare prices every six months because prices trend upward over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates on Malibu Limited coverage two years ago there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in one of the best ways to lower your annual insurance bill.
The purpose of this post is to tell you how car insurance quotes work and some money-saving tips. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. Consumers just need to understand how to shop their coverage around online.
Car insurance companies do not advertise every disount available very clearly, so the list below contains a few of the more well known and also the more inconspicuous discounts that you can inquire about if you buy car insurance online. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. If you do the math and it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, nobody gets a free ride.
Insurance companies that have many of the previously listed discounts possibly include:
Before you buy a policy, ask all the companies which credits you are entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply to policyholders in your area.
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that go into determining the level of your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates, this enables informed choices that can help you get better insurance rates. Multiple criteria are used when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as traffic violations, but some are less apparent such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.
When it comes to choosing the best insurance coverage coverage, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions might point out if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.
Consumers can’t avoid all the ads for cheaper auto insurance from the likes of Geico, State Farm and Progressive. They all make the point that people will save if you just switch your policy.
How can each company claim to save you money? It’s all in how they say it.
Insurance providers have specific guidelines for the type of insured that earns them the most money. For example, a desirable risk might have to be a married female, has had continuous coverage, and has a short commute. Anybody who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and will also save when switching.
Potential insureds who don’t measure up to the ideal profile must pay higher premiums which results in the customer buying from someone else. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. That is how companies can make the claims of big savings.
Because of the profiling, you really should get as many free car insurance quotes as possible. It is impossible to guess the company that will have the best prices for your profile.
Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are the normal coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Liability car insurance – This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. It protects you from legal claims by others. 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. Your policy might show policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers things like legal defense fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, structural damage, attorney fees and medical services. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Collision – Collision coverage pays for damage to your Malibu Limited from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like crashing into a building, crashing into a ditch, driving through your garage door, rolling your car and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Medical expense insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for expenses such as hospital visits, ambulance fees, prosthetic devices, chiropractic care and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as fire damage, vandalism and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Chevy Malibu Limited.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually these limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Budget-conscious 2016 Chevy Malibu Limited insurance can be bought online as well as from insurance agents, so you need to shop car insurance with both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies may not have the ability to get a quote online and many times these smaller providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. The goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost, not the least amount of coverage.
Additional information can be found below: