Compare 2004 Ford Explorer Insurance Quotes

Drivers have lots of choices when trying to find the best price on Ford Explorer insurance. You can either spend your time contacting agents to get rate comparisons or save time using the internet to compare rates.

There are both good and bad ways to compare insurance coverage rates and you need to know the quickest way to quote coverages on a Ford and locate the lowest possible price either online or from local insurance agents.

Are you getting all your discounts?

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit. If you don’t get every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.

  • Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can save as much as 8% for Explorer insurance depending on your company.
  • Accident Free – Claim-free drivers can save substantially compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
  • Driver’s Ed – Require your teen driver to enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
  • Accident Waiver – Certain companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
  • New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.
  • Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents can pay as much as 50% less for Explorer insurance than drivers with accidents.
  • Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Organization Discounts – Participating in a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for insurance for Explorer insurance.
  • E-sign – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy online.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way. But all discounts will cut your premiums.

To see a list of insurers who offer insurance discounts, click here to view.

Free Insurance Quotes

All the larger insurance companies like Progressive, Allstate and Geico give prices on their websites. Getting quotes is quite easy as you just enter the amount of coverage you want into the quote form. After the form is submitted, their rating system orders credit information and your driving record and returns pricing information determined by many factors.

Online price quotes streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit a lot of sites and complete many quote forms can get tiresome after awhile. But it’s very important to get many rate quotes in order to find the best price possible.

A more efficient way to find better insurance pricing requires only one form that gets price quotes from more than one company. It saves time, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online shopping much simpler. After sending the form, it is quoted and you can select any of the price quotes you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and purchase coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and you will know how your current rates stack up.

To compare pricing, click here and enter your information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you complete the form with the limits and deductibles exactly as shown on your declarations page. This makes sure you will be getting a price comparison for similar coverage.

These factors can influence what you pay for Ford Explorer insurance

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine your rates.

  • Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are a lot of additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying auto insurance. Things like rental car reimbursement, accidental death and term life insurance may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment at first, but if they’re wasting money remove them from your policy.
  • Occupation reflects on rates – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Occupations like lawyers, business owners and accountants tend to have higher rates than average attributed to high stress and lengthy work days. On the flip side, jobs such as pilots, athletes and performers receive lower rates for Explorer insurance.
  • A clean driving record saves money – Drivers who don’t get tickets receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Even one speeding ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as DUI or reckless driving may be required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
  • Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates – Having an insurance coverage lapse is a sure-fire way to increase your auto insurance rates. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage can result in a license revocation or jail time.Then you may be required to file a SR-22 with your state department of motor vehicles.
  • Discounts for married couples – Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on your policy. Having a significant other usually means you are more mature than a single person and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.
  • Your location affects your rates – Being located in a small town can save you money when talking about auto insurance. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Drivers who live in large cities have traffic congestion and a longer drive to work. More time commuting translates into higher accident risk.
  • Males pay more for insurance – Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. They both are in accidents in similar numbers, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.

Tailor your coverage to you

When choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Each situation is unique.

These are some specific questions might help in determining whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
  • When can my company non-renew my policy?
  • What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
  • At what point should I drop full coverage?
  • What are the best liability limits?
  • Where can I find DUI or SR-22 insurance?
  • Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can provide invaluable advice.

Slick advertising tricks that work

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all have a common claim that you can save if you change your policy.

How can each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has great credit. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Drivers who don’t meet this ideal profile will be charged higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

That is why drivers should get as many quotes as possible. You cannot predict which company will have the lowest Ford Explorer insurance rates.

Insurance coverages and their meanings

Having a good grasp of your insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.

Collision coverage

Collision insurance covers damage to your Explorer from colliding with an object or car. 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, backing into a parked car and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for bills for things like dental work, hospital visits and ambulance fees. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive auto coverage

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

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as rock chips in glass, falling objects, vandalism, damage from getting keyed and a broken windshield. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Ford Explorer.

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 should not be overlooked. Normally these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Liability insurance

This provides protection from damage that occurs to a person or their property in an accident. This coverage 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. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like loss of income, bail bonds, medical services, funeral expenses and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but buy higher limits if possible.

One last thing

Insureds leave their current company for a variety of reasons including questionable increases in premium, policy non-renewal, unfair underwriting practices and even lack of trust in their agent. Whatever your reason, finding a new car insurance company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

You just read many tips how you can compare 2004 Ford Explorer insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the best prices are with an unexpected company.

When buying insurance coverage, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

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