Are you tired of not being able to afford each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners.
Companies like GEICO, Progressive and Allstate continually hit you with ad campaigns and it is difficult to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
You should make it a habit to price shop coverage before your policy renews because prices go up and down regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price for Accord insurance six months ago you will most likely find a better rate today. So block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you the best way to save on auto insurance.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. Finding affordable coverage is not that difficult. But vehicle owners do need to learn the way companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can be exhausting if you aren’t aware of the easiest way. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with agents in your area, or you could use online quotes to achieve your goal.
All the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and at least one company then gives them pricing determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing quotation requests to each company.
To find out how much you can save on auto insurance click here to open in new window.
One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is you don’t know exactly the insurers to get quotes from. So if you want to select specific providers to request quotes from, we have a listing of auto insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
Which method you use is up to you, but make darn sure you compare the exact same coverages and limits with every price quote. If you are comparing different values for each quote you will not be able to make an equal comparison. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages may result in large price differences. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding the best rates.
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but companies offer discounts to cut the cost considerably. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you purchase, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But any discount will reduce your overall premium however.
To choose insurance companies offering auto insurance discounts, follow this link.
Having a good grasp of auto insurance aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.
UM/UIM Coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Honda Accord.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Medical costs insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills for nursing services, funeral costs, hospital visits, prosthetic devices and X-ray expenses. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants as well as 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
Auto liability
This coverage protects you from damage that occurs to a person or their property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage protects against things like pain and suffering, court costs, attorney fees and funeral expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as much as you can afford.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This 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 coverage pays for things such as a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane, vandalism and hitting a deer. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage protection
Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Accord from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against claims like backing into a parked car, hitting a parking meter, crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.