Lower Your 1990 Ford E-350 Insurance Rates

If price shopping auto insurance online is new to you, it’s easy to get confused by the large number of online auto insurance companies and websites offering coverage.

Smart consumers take time to get comparison quotes at least once a year because prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you got the lowest price for E-350 coverage on your last policy you can probably find a better price now. So just forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because it’s time to teach you the tricks you need to know to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance

The are a couple different ways of comparing rates from auto insurance companies in your area. The best method to compare 1990 Ford E-350 insurance prices is to get quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

  • The fastest way to get quotes for comparison would be an industry-wide quote request form click to view form in new window. This form eliminates the need for separate forms to each individual auto insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form will get you rate comparisons from multiple low-cost companies. It’s definitely the quickest method.
  • A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online is going to the website for each individual company to request a price quote. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want to compare rates from Allstate, State Farm and GMAC. To find out each rate you need to visit each site and enter your information, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.
  • The most time-consuming method of getting rate comparisons is to spend time driving to local insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you have a need for the professional advice of a local agent. It is possible to compare the best prices online and still use a local agent. We’ll cover that shortly.

It’s up to you which method you use, but compare the exact same deductibles and coverage limits on every quote you get. If you are comparing mixed coverages it will be very difficult to decipher which rate is best. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages may result in a large different in cost. It’s important to know that getting more free quotes gives you a better chance of getting lower pricing.

Do you really save 40% when you switch?

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, Geico and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How do they all make almost identical claims?

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that makes them money. For instance, a preferred risk might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has excellent credit. Any driver who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile will be quoted higher rates and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

This emphasizes why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings on Ford E-350 insurance.

Why your Ford E-350 insurance rates may be high

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are some of the factors used by your company to calculate prices.

  • Save money with special equipment – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all aid in stopping auto theft.
  • Traffic citations inflate rates – Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than people who have multiple driving citations. Just one ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who get severe violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
  • Do you work long hours in a high stress job? – Careers like lawyers, social workers and financial analysts have higher average rates attributed to stressful work requirements and long work hours. Conversely, jobs such as pilots, engineers and the unemployed get better rates for E-350 coverage.
  • Younger drivers pay higher rates – More mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and are safer drivers. Teenage drivers are statistically proven to get distracted easily when driving and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher.
  • Small claims can cost you – Auto insurance companies provide better rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Your insurance policy is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are quite a few extra coverages that you can buy when buying auto insurance. Coverages like personal injury protection, towing coverage and term life insurance are some examples. They may seem good at first, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
  • More than one policy can earn a discount – Most insurers provide better rates to people who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it’s still a good idea to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money.
  • Are you male or female? – The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. Men and women cause accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage. They also receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.

Do you qualify for discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of purchase, but some must be asked for in order for you to get them.

  • Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down on your Ford can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
  • Auto/Home Discount – When you have multiple policies with one company you will save at least 10% off all policies.
  • Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • Passive Restraints – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can get savings of more than 20%.
  • Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less for E-350 coverage than less cautious drivers.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the cost of coverage.

For a list of providers offering car insurance discounts, click this link.

Don’t assume everyone needs the same coverage

When it comes to buying adequate coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
  • When would I need rental car insurance?
  • Does insurance cover tools stolen from my truck?
  • Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
  • Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver?
  • How can I force my company to pay a claim?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form.

Car insurance coverage basics

Learning about specific coverages of car insurance can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

This provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your 1990 Ford E-350.

Due to the fact that many 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 should not be overlooked. Frequently these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Coverage for collisions

This coverage will pay to fix damage to your E-350 from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with another moving vehicle, driving through your garage door and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Comprehensive coverages

Comprehensive insurance covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, theft and hail damage. The most your car insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Coverage for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for short-term medical expenses for doctor visits, X-ray expenses and funeral costs. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Coverage for liability

This coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 that translate to a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage protects against things like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees, medical expenses and court costs. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

A penny saved is a penny earned

In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to save on 1990 Ford E-350 insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the lowest rates come from an unexpected company.

Affordable insurance can be purchased on the web and with local insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not offer online price quotes and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as policy cancellation, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, extreme rates for teen drivers or even high prices. Regardless of your reason, switching companies is not as hard as you think.

Additional insurance information is available at the links below