Have you fallen victim to an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you you’re not alone. Big companies like Allstate, Progressive and GEICO all promote huge savings with fancy advertisements and it is difficult to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can use these tips to cut your premiums and still get good coverage. Finding affordable coverage in Duluth is not that difficult. Georgia vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to compare prices over the internet.
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time you complete a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied prior to getting the savings. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. But all discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.
For a list of insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Georgia, follow this link.
When buying proper insurance coverage, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether you could use an agent’s help.
If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Understanding the coverages of a car insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like theft, vandalism and a broken windshield. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage protection
Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle 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 things such as backing into a parked car, colliding with another moving vehicle and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Auto liability
This will cover damage that occurs to other people or property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers things like emergency aid, bail bonds, pain and suffering and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Georgia requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying higher limits.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many Georgia drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (Georgia limits are 25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Normally the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Insurance for medical payments
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses like X-ray expenses, prosthetic devices, doctor visits and EMT expenses. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Additional information can be read on the website for the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner found here. Georgia consumers can get help finding coverage, find disaster information, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.
The following articles may also be useful.
When shopping online for car insurance, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, an insured dropped collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price.
Lower-priced car insurance can be sourced on the web and with local Duluth insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
We just presented quite a bit of information on how to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the best prices are with an unexpected company. They may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.