Confused by the dozens of car insurance company choices? You’re not the only one! Drivers have so many options that it can quickly become a ton of work to compare prices.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. Finding more affordable insurance coverage is not that difficult. But drivers need to have an understanding of the way companies sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list every available discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the best known as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using.
Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.
For a list of insurers who offer auto insurance discounts, click here.
Effectively comparing car insurance prices can take hours if you don’t understand the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you could save time and use online quoting to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Many of the larger companies participate in a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and every company returns a rated price for coverage. This saves time by eliminating quote forms for each company you want a rate for.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click to open in new window.
The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you don’t know exactly which insurance companies to get quotes from. If you wish to select specific providers for rate comparison, we put together a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
Whichever way you use, make absolute certain that you use identical deductibles and coverage limits on every quote you get. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s impossible to make an equal comparison. Having just a slight variation in limits may cause a big price difference. Just remember that getting more free quotes gives you a better chance of getting better pricing.
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower car insurance prices.
When it comes to choosing the best insurance coverage coverage for your vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different.
These are some specific questions may help highlight whether you might need professional guidance.
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.
Insurance coverage providers like State Farm, Allstate and Geico constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. They all make the same claim of big savings if you switch to their company. How do they all make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies can use profiling for the right customer that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between the ages of 40 and 55, is a homeowner, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and most likely will cut their rates substantially.
Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings. This illustrates why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest Dodge Durango insurance rates.
Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
This covers damage to your Durango resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a mailbox, rolling your car and crashing into a ditch. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
This protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 which means a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against things like repair costs for stationary objects, emergency aid and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills such as chiropractic care, pain medications, surgery and funeral costs. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like hitting a deer, fire damage, vandalism and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Dodge Durango.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
As you shop your coverage around, make sure you don’t buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The aim is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate.
Consumers leave their current company for many reasons like denial of a claim, lack of trust in their agent, delays in responding to claim requests and high rates after DUI convictions. Regardless of your reason, switching auto insurance companies is less work than it seems.
Budget-conscious 1999 Dodge Durango insurance can be bought on the web and with local insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. Some insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
Additional auto insurance information is located below: