Lower Your 1993 Mazda Protege Insurance Cost

Feel like you’re a prisoner to high-priced insurance? Trust us, you’re not the only one. Numerous car insurance companies battle for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a insurer to get the lowest rate possible.

It’s a great practice to take a look at other company’s rates once or twice a year since insurance prices go up and down regularly. Just because you found the lowest rates on Protege coverage a couple years back a different company probably has better rate quotes today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about insurance because you’re going to learn the things you must know in order to remove unneeded coverages and save money.

Lower your insurance rates with discounts

Some companies don’t list their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find a few of the more well known and the more hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you buy auto insurance online.

• Organization Discounts – Having an affiliation with certain professional organizations may earn a discount on your next insurance statement.
• Discount for Good Grades – Excelling in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles on your Mazda can earn discounted insurancerates on garaged vehicles.
• One Accident Forgiven – but certain companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up if you have no claims before the accident.
• Claim-Free Discount – Drivers with accident-free driving histories get the best insurance rates as compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
• Discounts for Responsible Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates on Protege coverage as compared to drivers with claims.
• Paperwork-free – A handful of larger companies will provide an incentive for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.

Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, that’s just not realistic.

Popular insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts include:

• The Hartford offers premium reductions for driver training, good student, defensive driver, anti-theft, and bundle.
• American Family policyholders can earn discounts including good driver, early bird, bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, accident-free, mySafetyValet, and multi-vehicle.
• Progressive may offer discounts for good student, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-policy, online signing, and multi-vehicle.
• Travelers offers discounts including multi-car, multi-policy, driver training, hybrid/electric vehicle, payment discounts, and student away at school.
• Farmers Insurance discounts include switch companies, homeowner, electronic funds transfer, multi-car, mature driver, pay in full, and business and professional.
• USAA includes discounts for family discount, defensive driver, military installation, multi-policy, and loyalty savings.
• Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include teen driver discount, multi-policy, new move discount, good student, new vehicle discount, and multi-car.

When quoting, ask every company which credits you are entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered everywhere.

How to get free car insurance quotes online

Performing a rate comparison can be a lot of work if you don’t utilize the most efficient way to do it. You could waste a few hours talking about coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you could use online quotes to achieve your goal.

Most major companies belong to an insurance system that enables customers to complete one form, and each company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests to every company.

To access this free quoting program, click here to open in new window.

The one downside to doing it this way is you don’t know exactly which insurance companies to get quotes from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies to compare rates, we have a listing of low cost car insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.

Whichever way you choose to compare rates, be certain you are entering the same coverages for each price quote. If you use differing limits it will be impossible to determine the lowest rate for your Mazda Protege.

Five factors that impact insurance premiums

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for insurance. When you understand what determines premiums, this enables you to make decisions that may result in better insurance rates. Lots of things are considered when you quote your car insurance policy. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, but other factors are more obscure like where you live or how safe your car is.

• Employer can influence insurance rates – Occupations such as military personnel, social workers and stock brokers are shown to have higher average rates due to stressful work requirements and incredibly demanding work hours. On the flip side, careers like professors, students and retirees pay lower than average rates on Protege coverage.
• Older drivers save more – Beginning drivers are known to be careless and easily distracted with other occupants in the car therefore insurance rates are much higher. Older people are more responsible, cost insurance companies less in claims , and usually have better credit.
• Safer vehicles save money – Vehicles that have high safety ratings tend to have lower insurance rates. These vehicles reduce injuries and fewer injuries means lower claim amounts which can result in lower premiums.
• Save by driving less – Driving a lot of miles each year the more you’ll pay to insure it. Most insurance companies charge rates based on how the vehicle is used. Cars not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates than those that get driven frequently. A policy that improperly rates your Protege may be wasting your money. It’s a smart idea to ensure your insurance declarations sheet properly reflects the correct usage, because it can save money.
• Small claims can cost you – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies generally give the best rates to people who are not frequent claim filers. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for more catestrophic claims.

You are unique and your insurance should be too

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Every insured’s situation is different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions might point out if you would benefit from professional advice.

• Does my 1993 Mazda Protege qualify for pleasure use?
• I have health insurance so do I need medical payments coverage?
• How much liability coverage do I need in my state?
• Is extra glass coverage worth it?
• Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
• Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
• What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
• Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?

If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Big names are not always cheapest

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from the likes of Allstate and Progressive. They all seem to make the point that you can save if you just switch your coverage.

Is it even possible that every company can have lower policy pricing?

Insurance providers quote the lowest rates for the type of driver that will add to their bottom line. A good example of this type of risk profile might be described as over the age of 35, has other policies, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver that meets those criteria will probably get cheap prices and as a result will probably save if they switch.

Consumers who may not quite match the requirements may be required to pay higher rates and this can result in the customer buying from a different company. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” will save that much if they switch. This is how insurance companies can make those statements.

Because of these techniques, drivers must do a price quote comparison at every renewal. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Car insurance 101

Having a good grasp of auto insurance helps when choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Liability insurance – Liability insurance can cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like court costs, emergency aid, attorney fees, structural damage and loss of income. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like fire damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, theft and hitting a deer. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Mazda Protege.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses such as EMT expenses, prosthetic devices, chiropractic care and X-ray expenses. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Collision coverage – This pays for damage to your Protege resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against things like rolling your car, colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

The bottom line

While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many situations where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest cost while still protecting your assets.

Affordable 1993 Mazda Protege insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not have online price quotes and these smaller providers work with independent insurance agents.

We’ve covered some good ideas how to lower your 1993 Mazda Protege insurance car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get premium rates for, the higher your chance of finding affordable auto insurance. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Regional companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.

Additional detailed information can be read in these articles:

• Auto Insurance Learning Center (State Farm)
• Teen Driving and Texting (State Farm)
• What is a Telematics Device? (Allstate)
• Tread Depth and Tire Safety (State Farm)
• Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Insitute)