2001 Toyota Prius Insurance Quotes

No one in their right mind looks forward to paying for insurance coverage, in particular when their premiums are through the roof.

Many insurers vie to insure your vehicles, so it can be very hard to choose a provider and get the best coverage at the best rates possible.

It’s a great practice to do rate comparisons yearly due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best deal on Prius insurance last year you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about insurance coverage because you’re about to find out how to use online quotes to find great coverage at a great price.

Get lower rates on Toyota Prius insurance

Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings.

Passive Restraint Discount – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates on Prius insurance than less cautious drivers.
Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts could cut 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
Early Signing – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
No Charge for an Accident – A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
Anti-lock Brake System – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.

It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

For a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates, follow this link.

Factors that can influence Toyota Prius insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with better car insurance rates.

Listed below are some of the factors companies use to determine rates.

Your credit rating is important – A driver’s credit history is a important factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. If your credit history is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your 2001 Toyota Prius by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have lower credit scores.
Don’t let your coverage lapse – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a fast way to trigger a rate increase. And not only will insurance be more expensive, getting caught without coverage may earn you a revoked license or a big fine.You may then be required to file a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.
Lower rates with optional equipment – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart your car from being stolen.
Sex matters – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but men have costlier accidents. Men also get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.

Tailor your coverage to you

When choosing adequate coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.

Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
Is a blown tire covered by insurance?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my 2001 Toyota Prius is totaled?
Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
Do I need an umbrella policy?
What is the minimum liability in my state?
Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance coverage companies in your area.

Beware of misleading car insurance ads

Companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the ads make the same claim that you can save if you switch your coverage to them. How do they all make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer could be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. Any driver who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who are not a match for the requirements will have to pay more money and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads say “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, you should get quotes from several different companies. It’s impossible to know which company will have the lowest Toyota Prius insurance rates.

Car insurance coverage information

Knowing the specifics of a insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are typical coverages found on the average insurance policy.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Toyota Prius.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Auto liability

This coverage protects you from damage that occurs to people or other property. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 bodily injury coverage, $300,000 for the entire accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage protects against things like medical expenses, bail bonds and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance 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 pays for things such as a broken windshield, hail damage and vandalism. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Prius resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for things such as hitting a mailbox, sideswiping another vehicle, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Insurance for medical payments

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for short-term medical expenses for pain medications, hospital visits, doctor visits and ambulance fees. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Compare but don’t skimp

The cheapest 2001 Toyota Prius insurance is definitely available online as well as from independent agents, so compare prices from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

When shopping online for auto insurance, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford.

In this article, we presented many tips how you can get a better price on insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with a small local company. These companies often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Geico and State Farm.