Beginners to shopping for insurance online are likely to discover purchasing cheap insurance coverage is tougher than they thought.
It’s important to do price comparisons occasionally because insurance prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. If you had the lowest price for Civic coverage on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate quote today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re going to learn the right way to lower your annual insurance bill.
The purpose of this post is to help you learn how to get online quotes and some tricks to saving. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to cut costs considerably using this information. But consumers do need to understand how companies compete online and apply this information to your search.
Some providers don’t always list every disount available in a way that’s easy to find, so we researched some of the more common as well as some of the hidden discounts you could be receiving when you buy insurance coverage online. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you may be paying too high a price.
One thing to note about discounts is that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Despite the fact that it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will positively reduce the amount you pay for coverage.
For a list of insurance companies who offer discounts, click here to view.
When choosing coverage, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different.
For instance, these questions may help you determine whether you will benefit from professional help.
If you’re not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form.
Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
This provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property by causing an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for claims such as pain and suffering, bail bonds and attorney fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but consider buying as much as you can afford.
Comprehensive insurance covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from flooding, theft and damage from getting keyed. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses like doctor visits, dental work and ambulance fees. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” 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 2000 Honda Civic.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Normally the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
This coverage covers damage to your Civic caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things like driving through your garage door, backing into a parked car, scraping a guard rail and hitting a mailbox. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
When shopping online for insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest cost.
You just read a lot of techniques to lower your 2000 Honda Civic insurance car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding affordable insurance coverage. You may even find the lowest car insurance rates come from a lesser-known regional company.
People who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as not issuing a premium refund, denial of a claim, policy cancellation or extreme rates for teen drivers. Whatever your reason, switching companies can be pretty painless.
Additional information can be found on the following sites:
Alethia Barr
If you’re a decent driver and live around Rutland, VT, check out State Farm. I saved quite a bit.
Chin Soto
When should I drop comp and collision?
Pedro Johns
What is Underinsured Motorist coverage?
Tova Warner
I live on the south side of Columbus, GA. I quoted with Amica, MetLife, and a few others for my Civic and I think I am saving around $30 each month. Not sure if rates are cheaper online or not. I dropped full coverage awhile back.
Shenika Levy
I found pretty cheap rate quotes for a 2000 Honda Civic in Missoula, MT. Ended up at roughly $90 every six months with American Family. Left Eastwood to switch. You can get a rate quote online.
Burl Herrera
Good detail in your article. I live in Des Moines, IA. Got free quotes online for a 2000 Honda Civic. Ended up at about $70 savings annually. Went with Progressive. Left Sentry to switch. Moved home policy as well. Highly recommended. Only insure liability on my Civic.
Maisha Hood
Liked the article. I’m in the west part of Lexington, KY. I compared lots of rates. Saved about $20 a month. 21st Century was the best choice for me. It’s only liability tho.
Waldo House
Does GEICO settle claims fairly?