Lower Your 2016 Nissan Sentra Insurance Rates

Want the cheapest insurance coverage rates for your Nissan Sentra? Trying to find the cheapest insurance for your Nissan Sentra could be difficult, but you can learn the following methods to save time. There are more efficient ways to buy insurance coverage and you need to know the best way to price shop coverage on a Nissan and find the cheapest rates from both online companies and local agents.

The method we recommend to compare rate quotes is to know most of the larger companies provide online access to compare rate quotes. To begin a comparison, all you need to do is give the companies some data like your general credit rating, deductibles desired, whether or not you need a SR-22, and marital status. Those rating factors is sent automatically to all major companies and they return quotes with very little delay.

Big names are not always cheapest

Drivers constantly see and hear ads that claim the lowest premium rates from the likes of State Farm and Allstate. All the ads tend to make the same promise about how much you will save just by switching your insurance coverage policy to them.

How is it plausible that every one can make the same claim? Just pay attention to how they say it.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that will most likely be profitable. An example of a profitable customer should be between the ages of 30 and 45, is a homeowner, and does not commute to work. Someone who matches that profile will get the preferred rates and will most likely pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential customers who cannot meet these criteria will see a more expensive rate with the end result being the customer not purchasing. If you listen closely, the ads state “customers that switch” not “all people who quote” save that much money. This is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings. This really illustrates why you really should get price quotes at each policy renewal. Because you never know which company will have the best premium rates.

Nissan Sentra insurance premiums can be more affordable

The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at the different types of things that help determine the level of your policy premiums. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that could help you find cheaper rates. Multiple criteria are part of the equation when you get a price on insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, but other factors are more obscure such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.

  • Theft deterrents save – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can save you some money. Theft deterrent systems like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all help stop your vehicle from being stolen.
  • Rental and towing coverage may not be needed – There are a lot of extra add-on coverages that you can buy but may not be useful. Insurance for things like personal injury protection, better glass coverage, and Farm Bureau memberships are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so get rid of them and save.
  • Drive fewer miles and save – The more miles you rack up on your Nissan every year the higher the price you pay to insure it. A lot of insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Cars not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates than vehicles that have high annual mileage. An improperly rated Sentra is just wasting money. It’s a good idea to make sure your car insurance declarations sheet correctly shows annual mileage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Raise your coverage deductibles for better prices – Physical damage insurance, also called ‘full coverage’, covers your vehicle from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered could be colliding with a building, hail damage, and damage from a fallen tree branch. Your deductibles are how much the insured will be required to pay if a covered claim is submitted. The more damage repair cost you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be for Sentra coverage.
  • Do males or females drive better? – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. It does not mean females are better at driving than males. Both genders are responsible for auto accidents at a similar rate, but guys have costlier accidents. Men also statistically receive more costly citations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and thus pay the highest rates.

Take policy discounts and save

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you might already qualify for some discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some of these disounts will be visible at quote time, but occassionally some discounts must be asked for prior to getting the savings.

  • Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less in comparison to drivers with a long claim history.
  • Include Life Insurance and Save – Select insurance carriers reward you with a discounted insurance coverage rate on car insurance if you buy life insurance from them.
  • Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a house can earn you a little savings because owning a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
  • Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to enroll and complete driver’s education in school or through a local driver safety program.
  • Service Members Pay Less – Being on active deployment in the military could qualify you for better premium rates.

Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though you would think adding up those discounts means a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are shown below.

  • Progressive offers discounts for multi-policy, multi-vehicle, good student, online quote discount, online signing, continuous coverage, and homeowner.
  • MetLife may offer discounts for claim-free, good driver, good student, defensive driver, accident-free, and multi-policy.
  • Mercury Insurance may have discounts that include annual mileage, good driver, type of vehicle, professional/association, good student, and location of vehicle.
  • Nationwide has savings for accident-free, Farm Bureau membership, family plan, multi-policy, anti-theft, business or organization, and good student.
  • Geico has discounts for anti-lock brakes, driver training, defensive driver, five-year accident-free, and multi-vehicle.
  • AAA discounts include education and occupation, good student, multi-policy, multi-car, good driver, and pay-in-full.

When getting free auto insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to all the companies to apply every possible discount. Some credits may not apply to policies in your area. For a list of insurance companies that offer discounts, click here to view.

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s situation is a little different.

These are some specific questions may help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

  • When can my company non-renew my policy?
  • Why do I need rental car insurance?
  • Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
  • Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
  • Does coverage extend to Mexico or Canada?
  • Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
  • Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?

If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Insurance coverage basics

Having a good grasp of a insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses such as ambulance fees, hospital visits, dental work and chiropractic care. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. It covers both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Nissan Sentra.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.

Auto liability insurance

This coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property in an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability insurance covers claims like bail bonds, attorney fees and emergency aid. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive coverage

This coverage pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as fire damage, hail damage, hitting a deer and vandalism. The highest amount your insurance company will pay 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.

Collision coverage

Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Sentra resulting from a collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as backing into a parked car, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a mailbox. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Keep this in mind

People who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as extreme rates for teen drivers, being labeled a high risk driver, delays in paying claims and not issuing a premium refund. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new company is actually quite simple.

Cheaper 2016 Nissan Sentra insurance is definitely available from both online companies and from local insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who may not provide rate quotes online and many times these regional carriers only sell coverage through independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The goal is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Additional information