View 1997 GMC Suburban Car Insurance Cost

Think you have an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me, there are many people just like you. Companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico persitently shower you with ads and it is difficult to see past the geckos and flying pigs and find the best price available.

If you have insurance now or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to cut your premiums while maximizing coverage. Buying car insurance is not that difficult. Consumers only need to know the most effective way to buy insurance online.

How to get the cheapest auto insurance

Performing a rate comparison can be a lot of work if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You can waste hours talking about coverages with insurance companies in your area, or you can utilize the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

All the larger companies belong to a marketplace where insurance shoppers send in one quote, and each company returns a competitive quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to each company.

To use this form to compare rates click here to start a free quote.

The single downside to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify the insurers to get pricing from. So if you want to select individual companies to request quotes from, we have a listing of low cost auto insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

The approach you take is up to you, just make darn sure you compare apples-to-apples coverage data with each company. If you use different data it will be impossible to make a fair comparison for your GMC Suburban.

Find discounts on insurance coverage

Insurance coverage is expensive, but you can get discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some discounts will apply at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

• Multi-line Discount – Some insurance carriers give a break if you buy some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
• Sign Early and Save – A few insurance companies offer discounts for switching policies prior to your current policy expiration. You may see this discount when you get car insurance quotes online.
• One Accident Forgiven – but some companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico will let one accident slide before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a specific time period.
• Data Collection Discounts – Policyholders that allow their insurance coverage company to look at their driving habits by installing a telematics device like Allstate’s Drivewise could save a few bucks as long as the data is positive.
• Defensive Driver – Completing a course teaching defensive driver skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount and also improve your driving technique.
• Driver Education Discount – Teen drivers should sucessfully take a drivers education course if offered at their school.

As is typical with insurance, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates you could get a free insurance coverage policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

A list of companies and a partial list of their discounts can be found below.

• Progressive has savings for continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, good student, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, and online signing.
• SAFECO may have discounts that include anti-lock brakes, teen safety rewards, safe driver, homeowner, and multi-car.
• American Family may offer discounts for Steer into Savings, good driver, air bags, TimeAway discount, bundled insurance, mySafetyValet, and multi-vehicle.
• MetLife offers premium reductions for good student, multi-policy, defensive driver, accident-free, claim-free, and good driver.
• Geico includes discounts for five-year accident-free, anti-theft, military active duty, emergency military deployment, and air bags.
• The Hartford policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, good student, driver training, bundle, vehicle fuel type, air bag, and defensive driver.

When getting a coverage quote, ask every company which discounts you qualify for. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be offered everywhere. If you would like to choose from a list of insurers with the best discounts, click this link.

Eight factors that affect insurance premiums

Lots of factors are part of the calculation when you quote your car insurance policy. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but others are not quite as obvious such as whether you are married or your commute time.Part of the car insurance buying process is learning the different types of things that go into determining your car insurance rates. When you understand what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that could result in lower rates.

The following are some of the most rate-impacting factors used by companies to determine your prices.

• Married drivers get cheaper prices – Your spouse may cut your premiums on your car insurance policy. Marriage is viewed as being more mature and responsible and statistics show married drivers tend to have fewer serious accidents.
• Big cities have higher premiums – Having an address in smaller towns and rural areas of the country can save you money when shopping for auto insurance. Urban drivers have to deal with more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Less people translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
• Cautious drivers pay better prices – Being a careful driver has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Even a single moving violation may cause rates to rise forty percent or more. Drivers with clean records pay lower auto insurance prices than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with serious citations like DUI or reckless driving may face state-mandated requirements to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to legally drive.
• Less chance of injury means lower car insurance rates – Cars with five star safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and fewer serious injuries means your insurance company pays less and more competitive rates for policyholders. If the GMC Suburban has at least four stars on Safercar.gov you are probably receiving a discount.
• More stress means more cost – Did you know your career choice can influence rates? Careers like doctors, business owners and medical professionals tend to pay higher premium rates because of high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. Other professions such as actors, engineers and the unemployed receive lower rates for Suburban insurance.
• An active policy claims history can cost more – Insurance companies give the lowest premiums to drivers who do not file claims often. If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can expect much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Your car insurance is meant to be used in the event of claims that you cannot pay yourself.
• Gals pay lower prices – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. It does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both genders cause accidents in similar numbers, but guys tend to have more serious accidents. Not only that, but men also get more serious tickets like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving.
• Insurance is expensive for younger drivers – Teenage drivers tend to be inattentive and easily distracted when driving so car insurance rates are higher. More experienced drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, statistically cause fewer accidents and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions could help you determine if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• What is the minimum liability in my state?
• How can I force my company to pay a claim?
• Am I covered when driving a rental car?
• Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
• Does my personal policy cover me when driving out-of-state?
• When would I need additional glass coverage?
• How high should my medical payments coverage be?
• Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

The ad said I’d save $387 a year!

Drivers can’t escape the ads that claim the best premium rates from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you change your coverage.

That’s great but how can every company save you money? It’s all in how they say it.

All companies have specific characteristics for the right customer that will add to their bottom line. A good example of a desirable risk might be described as between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Anyone who fits those characteristics will most likely get cheap premium rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Consumers who do not meet the “perfect” profile will probably have to pay higher premium rates and ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say “drivers that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do.

That is why it’s extremely important to compare many company’s rates. It’s impossible to know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rates.

Insurance policy specifics

Understanding the coverages of your policy can help you determine which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Below you’ll find the normal coverages available from insurance companies.

Medical expense coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for things like prosthetic devices, rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits and nursing services. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as hitting a deer, damage from flooding and rock chips in glass. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Collision protection

This pays for damage to your Suburban caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as rolling your car, hitting a parking meter, damaging your car on a curb, sustaining damage from a pot hole and backing into a parked car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability

This can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.

Liability coverage pays for things like pain and suffering, legal defense fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and emergency aid. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as much as you can afford.

In the end, you save

More affordable insurance coverage is attainable on the web as well as from independent agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not provide rates over the internet and most of the time these small, regional companies work with independent insurance agents.

As you quote car insurance, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to regret that it was a big mistake. Your objective should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best cost.

To read more, link through to these articles:

• Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
• How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)
• Cellphones, Texting and Driving (iihs.org)
• Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
• Senior Drivers (Insurance Information Insitute)