Cheap 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse Car Insurance Cost

Want the cheapest insurance rates for your Mitsubishi Eclipse? Saving money on Driversinsurance can be kind of frustrating for beginners to online rate comparisons. With literally dozens of insurance companies available, it can be a difficult challenge to find cheaper premium rates.

It’s important to shop coverage around before your policy renews because insurance prices are usually higher with each renewal. Just because you had the best price for Eclipse insurance two years ago you can probably find a better rate quote now. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the best way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

Cheapest insurance rate quotes

There are a lot of ways you can shop for insurance but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend your day driving to insurance agencies in your area, or you could save time and use online quotes to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

All the larger companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers only type in their quote data once, and each company can provide price quotes based on that information. This eliminates the need for form submissions to each company.

To find out how much you can save on insurance click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to using this type of form is buyers cannot specifically choose the companies you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose specific insurance companies to compare prices, we have a listing of companies who write insurance in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.

However you get your quotes, make sure you use apples-to-apples quote information for each comparison quote. If the quotes have unequal deductibles or liability limits you will not be able to get a fair rate comparison. Just a small difference in limits could mean much higher rates. And when price shopping your coverage, quoting more helps locate a better price.

Get lower-cost insurance coverage rates with discounts

Not many people think insurance is cheap, but companies offer discounts that can help lower your rates. Some discounts will apply at quote time, but less common discounts must be manually applied before you get the savings.

• Homeowners Discount – Just owning your own home may trigger a policy discount on insurance coverage since owning and maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
• Senior Citizen Rates – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens can get a small discount on rates for Eclipse insurance.
• Full Payment Discount – If paying your policy premium upfront as opposed to paying monthly you could save 5% or more.
• Active Military Service – Having a deployed family member could mean lower prices.
• Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories get the best insurance coverage rates in comparison with drivers who are more careless.

Please keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, that’s just not realistic.

A few of the larger companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are included below.

• Geico offers premium reductions for air bags, seat belt use, anti-theft, anti-lock brakes, driver training, and multi-vehicle.
• Travelers has discounts for IntelliDrive, driver training, good student, hybrid/electric vehicle, and new car.
• Farm Bureau has savings for good student, youthful driver, safe driver, 55 and retired, and multi-vehicle.
• Liberty Mutual may include discounts for new move discount, newly retired, new graduate, exclusive group savings, newly married, and safety features.
• American Family includes discounts for bundled insurance, good driver, early bird, accident-free, mySafetyValet, and air bags.
• Progressive may offer discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, online signing, homeowner, and continuous coverage.

It’s a good idea to ask all the companies which discounts you qualify for. A few discounts might not apply in your state. To choose insurance companies with the best discounts, click here to view.

Find Mitsubishi Eclipse insurance for less

Part of the insurance buying process is learning the rating factors that go into determining your premiums. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this allows you to make good choices that could result in lower rates.

• Gender matters – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that women are BETTER drivers than men. Both genders are responsible for accidents at a similar rate, but the males tend to have higher claims. Men also tend to receive more major tickets such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly.
• Poor credit decisions can cost you – Having a good credit score can be a huge factor in determining your rates. If your credit leaves room for improvement, you could pay less to insure your 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse if you clean up your credit. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims than drivers who have poor credit.
• Where you live – Residing in less populated areas of the country can save you money when buying insurance. Lower population means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. City drivers tend to have more aggressive driving styles and longer commute times. More time behind the wheel means a statistically higher chance of an accident.
• Policy claims cost money – Auto insurance companies generally give the lowest premiums to people who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can expect higher rates. Insurance coverage is designed for the large, substantial claims.
• More than one policy can earn a discount – The majority of companies give better rates to customers who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even though this discount sounds good, you may still want to get quotes from other companies to help guarantee you have the best rates.
• Liability is peace of mind – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you when you are found to be at fault for causing personal injury or damage in an accident. This coverage provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to comp and collision, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.

Tailor your auto insurance coverage to you

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

For example, these questions might help in determining if your situation might need professional guidance.

• What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
• If my 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
• Can I drive in Mexico and have coverage?
• Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?
• Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in my state?
• Are my friends covered when driving my car?

If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form.

Auto insurance coverages and their meanings

Learning about specific coverages of auto insurance aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a bird and falling objects. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Collision insurance

This coverage covers damage to your Eclipse caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against claims like hitting a parking meter, scraping a guard rail, sideswiping another vehicle and hitting a mailbox. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

Since many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Most of the time these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Liability coverages

This protects you from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people by causing an accident. It protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 25/50/25 which stand for a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like pain and suffering, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, court costs, bail bonds and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but buy higher limits if possible.

Medical expense coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for short-term medical expenses for things like surgery, doctor visits and EMT expenses. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Quote often and quote early

When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. The goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

More affordable insurance coverage is available both online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies do not offer rate quotes online and usually these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

Consumers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as policy cancellation, extreme rates for teen drivers, policy non-renewal and even poor customer service. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching insurance coverage companies can be pretty painless.

Additional detailed information can be read at these sites:

• Think You’re a Safe Driver? (State Farm)
• Medical Payments Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• How Much Auto Coverage do I Need? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• A Tree Fell on Your Car: Now What? (Allstate)
• Parking Tips to Reduce Door Dings (State Farm)
• Frontal Crash Tests (iihs.org)