1996 Mazda Protege Insurance Quotes – 10 Ideas for Best Rates

Looking for cheaper insurance coverage rates for your Mazda Protege? Nobody I know likes having to buy insurance coverage, especially knowing the cost is way too high. Numerous auto insurance companies battle for your hard-earned dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a insurance company and uncover the absolute cheapest price

Verify you’re getting every discount

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details a few of the more well known as well as some of the hidden credits available to you.

• Save with More Vehicles Insured – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple cars or trucks on a single policy could earn a price break for each car.
• College Student Discount – Kids who attend college more than 100 miles from home and leave their car at home may be insured at a cheaper rate.
• Driver’s Education for Students – Teen drivers should take driver’s ed class in high school.
• Multi-line Discount – Larger insurance carriers have a discounted insurance rate on car insurance if you buy auto and life insurance together.
• Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen with less frequency and will save you 10% or more.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Driving less could earn cheaper rates.
• Bundle and Save – If you can combine your homeowners and auto policy with one insurance company you may earn at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
• Claim-Free Discount – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay much less as compared to frequent claim filers.
• Federal Employees – Active or former government employment could qualify for a slight premium decrease on Protege insurance with select insurance companies.
• Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to buckle up could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.

Please keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, you aren’t that lucky. But any discount will reduce your policy premiums.

Larger insurance companies and a selection of discounts can be found below.

• State Farm discounts include Drive Safe & Save, Steer Clear safe driver discount, safe vehicle, student away at school, and accident-free.
• Geico has savings for defensive driver, anti-lock brakes, federal employee, anti-theft, air bags, and membership and employees.
• SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, teen safe driver, multi-car, drive less, and teen safety rewards.
• Farmers Insurance may offer discounts for homeowner, teen driver, bundle discounts, youthful driver, and electronic funds transfer.
• AAA offers premium reductions for education and occupation, multi-policy, good driver, good student, anti-theft, and multi-car.
• USAA offers discounts for defensive driver, vehicle storage, good student, family discount, annual mileage, and new vehicle.

Before purchasing a policy, check with each company or agent which discounts you may be entitled to. Some discounts listed above may not be available in your area. For a list of insurance companies that offer discounts, click here.

When should I discuss my situation with an agent?

When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. Every situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions can help discover if your situation might need professional guidance.

• Should I have a commercial auto policy?
• I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
• Will filing a claim cost me more?
• When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
• Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
• Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
• Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
• Do I need more liability coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Insurance myths debunked

Consumers can’t avoid all the ads that claim the cheapest premium rates from the likes of State Farm, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to advertise claims that you can save if you change your coverage.

How is it possible that every company can make the same claim? This is the way they can do it.

Insurance providers have an ideal profile for the driver that earns them the most money. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be between 30 and 50, has few claims, and does not commute to work. Anybody that meets those criteria receives the best car insurance rates and will save money with a new company.

Potential insureds who are not a match for these stringent criteria may be forced to pay a higher premium with the end result being business going elsewhere. The trick companies use is to say “people that switch” not “everyone who quotes” save that much when switching. That’s the way insurance companies can make claims like that. Each company has different criteria, so you need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s not possible to predict with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Specific coverages for a Mazda Protege

Knowing the specifics of your policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverages found on most insurance policies.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

This coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from getting keyed, rock chips in glass and a broken windshield. The maximum payout a insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Medical expense insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills such as hospital visits, chiropractic care, X-ray expenses, EMT expenses and nursing services. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Collision insurance

This covers damage to your Protege resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as hitting a mailbox, crashing into a building, hitting a parking meter and backing into a parked car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Auto liability

This coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as repair costs for stationary objects, pain and suffering, emergency aid and attorney fees. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Mazda Protege.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

In Summary

When you buy insurance coverage online, make sure you don’t reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

You just learned a lot of tips how to reduce 1996 Mazda Protege insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote insurance coverage, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from a small local company. They may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like State Farm and Allstate.

Other resources

• Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)
• Top Signs Your Brakes are Giving Out (State Farm)
• Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
• Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)