View 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Car Insurance Rates

Trying to find the cheapest insurance coverage rates for your Mercedes-Benz C-Class? Price shopping your insurance coverage is always very difficult for drivers not familiar with online price comparisons. With literally dozens of online companies available, it can easily turn into hard work to compare prices.

Buying cheaper protection can be fairly easy. Basically, everyone who shops for insurance will most likely be able to find better rates. But consumers benefit from understanding how companies sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.

Decisions you make can impact your insurance premiums

Many things are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some are obvious such as traffic violations, but other factors are not as apparent like where you live or how financially stable you are.

• Do you really need roadside assistance? – There are many extra add-on coverages you can purchase on your car insurance policy. Add-on coverages like coverage for rental cars, towing coverage, and extra life insurance coverage are examples of these. They may seem good initially, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so think about removing them and cutting costs.
• Male costs may be higher – Over the last 30 years, statistics show females are less aggressive when driving. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women cause at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but men cause more damage. Men also get ticketed for serious violations like reckless driving and DUI.
• Decrease car insurance rates by maintaining coverage – Not maintaining insurance is illegal and car insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance expire. In addition to paying higher premiums, the inability to provide proof of insurance could result in a license revocation or jail time. You may need to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
• Insurance companies don’t like frequent policy claims – If you file claims often, you shouldn’t be surprised to get higher rates. Insurance companies generally give discounts to people who file claims infrequently. Insurance coverage is intended for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.

Get affordable insurance with discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Some discounts will apply at the time you complete a quote, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied before you will receive the discount.

• Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower premium rates.
• Distant College Student Discount – Kids living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus may be insured at a cheaper rate.
• Accident Forgiveness Coverage – but a few companies such as Allstate, Progressive, and Geico permit an accident without getting socked with a rate hike with the catch being you have to be claim-free before the accident.
• Drive Less and Save – Keeping the miles down on your Mercedes-Benz may allow you to get substantially lower rates.
• Driver’s Ed – Require your teen driver to take driver’s ed class in school.
• Discount for Multiple Policies – If you combine your homeowners and auto policies with one insurance company you may save nearly 15% which can help you find inexpensive insurance coverage.
• Include Life Insurance and Save – Not all insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a lower price if you buy life insurance.
• Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to fasten their seat belts could save 15% off the PIP or medical payment premium.

As a footnote on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Even though the math looks like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you aren’t that lucky.

To see companies that offer discounts, click here.

Tailor your insurance coverage coverage to you

When choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

• Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
• Does my personal policy cover me when driving out-of-state?
• How can I force my company to pay a claim?
• How can I find cheaper teen driver insurance?
• Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
• Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
• What is UM/UIM insurance?
• Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
• How can I get my company to pay me more for my totalled car?
• If my 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form.

Car insurance 101

Learning about specific coverages of your policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.

Liability

Liability insurance can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage protects against claims like loss of income, medical expenses, court costs, funeral expenses and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers claims like scraping a guard rail, colliding with a tree and hitting a mailbox. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Coverage for medical payments

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for expenses like prosthetic devices, EMT expenses, chiropractic care and dental work. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. 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.

Comprehensive coverages

This will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as hail damage, damage from flooding, hitting a bird and damage from getting keyed. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

One last thing

There are still a few companies who may not have rates over the internet and these small insurance companies work with independent agents. The cheapest 1996 Mercedes-Benz C-Class insurance can be bought from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.

Drivers who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including questionable increases in premium, policy cancellation, high rates after DUI convictions and being labeled a high risk driver. Whatever your reason, switching insurance coverage companies can be less work than you think.

When buying insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, an accident victim reduced collision coverage only to regret that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate and still be able to protect your assets.

Additional information is located on the following sites:

• Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)
• Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)