1996 Ford Explorer Insurance Quotes – 7 Policy Discounts

If you’ve never shopped for auto insurance quotes online, it’s easy to get confused by the vast assortment of insurance providers all claiming to save you money.

Verify you’re getting every discount

Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. A few discounts will be applied at quote time, but less common discounts must be manually applied before they will apply. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount available, you could be getting lower rates.

• Sign Early and Save – A few larger companies allow discounts for switching companies before your current expiration date. Ten percent is about the average savings.
• No Charge for an Accident – This one is not really a discount per se, but some insurance companies permit an accident without getting socked with a rate hike as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
• Auto/Home Discount – If you can combine your homeowners and auto policy and place coverage with the same company you could save approximately 10% to 15%.
• Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less for Explorer insurance compared to accident prone drivers.
• Active Military Service – Being on active deployment in the military could be rewarded with lower prices.
• Auto/Life Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a lower premium rate if you buy life insurance.
• Distant College Student Discount – Any of your kids who live away from home at college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

If you would like to view providers with discount insurance rates, follow this link.

The best way to compare car insurance company rates takes advantage of the fact all the major auto insurance companies participate in online systems to provide you with a free rate quote. All consumers are required to do is provide a small amount of information including the ages of drivers, how you use your vehicles, if you’re married, and the type of vehicles you drive. That rating information is then submitted to multiple insurance coverage providers and you will receive price estimates within a short period of time.

When should I discuss my situation with an agent?

When choosing adequate coverage, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

For instance, these questions could help you determine if your insurance needs could use an agent’s help.

• What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
• Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
• Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
• Does my 1996 Ford Explorer qualify for pleasure use?
• Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
• At what point should I drop full coverage?

If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form.

Car insurance coverage basics

Understanding the coverages of your policy helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Comprehensive auto coverage – This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as hitting a deer, rock chips in glass, hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The maximum amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time 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 – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your Ford Explorer.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Medical payments and PIP coverage – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for bills for things like pain medications, doctor visits, funeral costs, prosthetic devices and ambulance fees. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Coverage for liability – This coverage can cover damage that occurs to other people or property that is your fault. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see values of 25/50/25 which means a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability can pay for things like attorney fees, pain and suffering, medical expenses, court costs and bail bonds. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Collision – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things such as colliding with a tree, driving through your garage door and colliding with another moving vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Summing up your car insurance search

Some car insurance companies may not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through local independent agents. Budget-friendly car insurance is possible both online in addition to many insurance agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture.

When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

We just covered a lot of techniques to reduce 1996 Ford Explorer insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.

More detailed car insurance information is available by following these links:

• How do I File a Claim? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for a Ford Explorer in Riverside? (QuoteRiverside.com)
• Teen Driver Licensing Information (iihs.org)
• Auto Insurance Basics (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Young Drivers: The High Risk Years Video (iihs.org)
• Smart Auto Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Insitute)