Save on 2018 Chevrolet Equinox Insurance Rates

Car owners that are new to comparing auto insurance quotes on the web can find purchasing low cost insurance is not as easy as it seems.

This article will instruct you on how to get online quotes and some money-saving tips. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. But car owners benefit from understanding how big insurance companies compete online and take advantage of how the system works.

Why your insurance rates might be higher

Many factors are used when you get your auto insurance bill. A few of the factors are predictable like your driving record, although others are less obvious like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.When buying insurance coverage it’s important to understand a few of the rating criteria that help determine your premiums. If you know what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables you to make decisions that could result in lower insurance coverage prices.

The following are some of the most common factors used by your company to calculate premiums.

  • Being married is a bonus – Walking down the aisle may earn you lower rates on your policy. Having a significant other translates into being less irresponsible and insurance companies reward insureds because married drivers tend to file fewer claims.
  • Choose high crash test ratings and save – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates. If your Chevy has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you may be receiving a better rate.
  • How many coverages with the same company – Most larger companies will award a discount to clients who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. If you currently are using one company, you still need to comparison shop to help guarantee you have the best rates. Consumers may find a better deal even if you insure with multiple companies
  • Women tend to be lower risk – Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. Females and males have auto accidents at about the same rate, but the males have costlier accidents. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Male teenagers are most likely to cause an accident so it costs more to insure them.
  • Liability coverage risk factors in – A critical coverage on your policy, liability insurance is the coverage that protects you if you are responsible for physical damage or personal injury to other. Your policy’s liability insurance provides for a legal defense to attempt to prove you were not liable. Liability insurance is pretty cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
  • Prices may be lower depending on your job – Jobs like military personnelpolice officers and accountants tend to have higher premium rates because of high stress and long work hours. Conversely, professions such as farmers, historians and the unemployed get better rates on Equinox coverage.
  • Extra policy coverages that may not be needed – There are quite a few optional add-on coverages that sound like a good idea at the time but may not be useful. Insurance for things like rental car reimbursement, high-cost glass coverage, and extra equipment coverage could be just wasting money. The coverages may be enticing when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.

Car insurance policy discounts

Companies do not list every discount very well, so the list below gives a summary of both the well known and the harder-to-find discounts that you can inquire about if you buy insurance online.

  • Mature Driver Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 are able to get a small discount on rates on Equinox coverage.
  • Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of 25 to 30%.
  • Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Telematics Devices – Policyholders that allow driving data collection to track driving manner remotely such as Progressive’s Snapshot may get a rate reduction if they are good drivers.
  • Clubs and Organizations – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization can get you a small discount on your policy.
  • Claim-Free Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims have much lower rates when compared to bad drivers.
  • Multiple Cars – Buying a policy with more than one vehicle on one policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
  • Anti-theft Discount – Cars with anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen so companies will give you a small discount.
  • College Student – College-age children who are enrolled in higher education away from home and leave their car at home can receive lower rates.

One last thing about discounts, many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck.

Large car insurance companies and the discounts they provide are:

  • American Family offers discounts for multi-vehicle, accident-free, bundled insurance, defensive driver, good driver, air bags, and early bird.
  • Farm Bureau has discounts for safe driver, good student, renewal discount, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and 55 and retired.
  • State Farm policyholders can earn discounts including student away at school, Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, accident-free, and anti-theft.
  • Travelers may offer discounts for new car, multi-car, early quote, payment discounts, home ownership, good student, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
  • The Hartford discounts include vehicle fuel type, driver training, air bag, defensive driver, bundle, and anti-theft.
  • Geico may have discounts that include federal employee, multi-vehicle, air bags, anti-lock brakes, good student, and seat belt use.
  • Progressive may include discounts for multi-vehicle, homeowner, good student, continuous coverage, multi-policy, and online quote discount.

Double check with all the companies which discounts you qualify for. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered in every state. For a list of insurers with the best discounts, click here to view.

Tricks in insurance advertising

Respected companies like State Farm, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads on television and other media. All the ads state the claim that people will save after switching your policy. How can each company have lower policy pricing? Here is the trick they use.

All the different companies require specific criteria for the type of customer that will add to their bottom line. For instance, a profitable risk profile may need to be a married male, owns their home, and drives a safe vehicle. Any driver who meets those qualifications receive the lowest rate quotes and will most likely cut their rates substantially.

People who don’t meet those criteria may receive more expensive rates which leads to the customer not purchasing. The ads state “people that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest car insurance rates.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When it comes to choosing coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.

  • Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
  • Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
  • What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
  • Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
  • What can I do if my company denied a claim?
  • Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
  • Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
  • I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
  • Is my ex-spouse still covered by my policy?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form.

Coverages available on your insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Collision protection

Collision coverage pays for damage to your Equinox resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for claims such as colliding with another moving vehicle, hitting a parking meter, backing into a parked car, sustaining damage from a pot hole and damaging your car on a curb. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Auto liability

This provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability insurance covers claims like attorney fees, emergency aid, funeral expenses, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive coverage

This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a broken windshield, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, theft, falling objects and fire damage. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage

This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and damage to your Chevy Equinox.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, 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. Normally these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for pain medications, EMT expenses, dental work and prosthetic devices. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

You can do this!

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

Cheap 2018 Chevy Equinox insurance is definitely available on the web in addition to many insurance agents, so you need to shop insurance with both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not offer rates over the internet and these regional insurance providers sell through independent insurance agencies.

Insureds switch companies for a number of reasons such as high rates after DUI convictions, denial of a claim, being labeled a high risk driver or even poor customer service. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new company is not as hard as you think.

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