No one in their right mind enjoys paying for auto insurance, especially when the cost is too high.
There are many insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates.
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for insurance coverage. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
All the larger car insurance companies quote price estimates on their websites. Getting quotes doesn’t take much effort as you just enter your coverage information into a form. Once entered, the system collects credit information and your driving record and returns a price. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to a lot of sites and fill out multiple forms is monotonous and tiresome. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible in order to get the lowest price.
The easy way to compare rates
A quicker way to compare car insurance pricing utilizes a single form that obtains quotes from more than one company. This type of form saves time, reduces the work, and makes comparison shopping much easier. After your information is entered, it is quoted and you are able to buy your choice of the returned quotes.
If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. It takes 15 minutes at the most and you will know how your current rates stack up.
If you want to use this form to compare rates, click here and fill out the form. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you type in coverages and limits as shown on your current policy. This guarantees you will be getting a price comparison using the exact same coverages.
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there could be available discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for in order for you to get them.
A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of insurers with discount insurance rates, click here.
When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions can help discover if your situation might need professional guidance.
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find typical coverages available from insurance companies.
Auto liability insurance
This protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property that is your fault. It protects YOU from claims by 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. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability can pay for things like loss of income, emergency aid, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and bail bonds. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.
UM/UIM Coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, a broken windshield, damage from a tornado or hurricane and hitting a bird. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision insurance
This will pay to fix damage to your Grand Marquis caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Medical costs insurance
Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for expenses like EMT expenses, pain medications and hospital visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Cheaper 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis insurance can be found from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.
You just read many tips how you can reduce insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from the smaller companies. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate and Progressive.
Even more information can be read at these sites: