Cutting costs on insurance coverage can seem to be nearly impossible for drivers not familiar with comparison shopping online. With literally dozens of online companies, it can be a difficult situation to locate the lowest prices.
If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Locating affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Although vehicle owners do need to understand the way insurance companies compete online and use this information to your advantage.
Some insurance providers don’t list every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the best known as well as the least known car insurance savings.
Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.
Some of the insurance companies that have most of the discounts above include:
If you want affordable auto insurance quotes, ask every company what discounts are available to you. Discounts might not apply in your area. To view insurers who offer car insurance discounts, follow this link.
Comparing insurance rates can be a daunting task if you don’t utilize the most efficient way to do it. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could save time and use the internet to accomplish the same thing much quicker.
Many insurance companies participate in an industry program that enables customers to submit one quote, and each participating company can give them a price. This eliminates the need for quote requests for every insurance company. To compare rates now click here to open in new window.
The single downside to doing it this way is you don’t know exactly which providers you want pricing from. If you prefer to choose individual companies for rate comparison, we have assembled a list of insurance companies in your area. Click here to view list.
The approach you take is up to you, just do your best to use the same quote data on every quote you get. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one you can’t possibly get a fair rate comparison. Even a minor difference in coverages could throw off the whole comparison. Keep in mind that comparing more quotes helps locate the best price. Some regional insurers cannot provide online price quotes, so it’s important to compare rates from them, too.
Many factors are taken into consideration when you get a price on insurance. Some are obvious such as your driving history, but other criteria are less obvious like where you live or your financial responsibility.One of the most helpful ways to save on insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the elements that help calculate the rates you pay for insurance. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower rates.
The items below are some of the major factors companies use to determine your rate level.
When it comes to choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is not a best way to insure your cars. Every insured’s situation is different.
For instance, these questions might point out if you will benefit from professional help.
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.
Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Ford Focus.
Due to the fact that many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.
Liability coverages – Liability coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property in an accident. It protects you against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage protects against things like structural damage, repair costs for stationary objects, attorney fees, medical expenses and bail bonds. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Coverage for medical expenses – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses such as ambulance fees, dental work and doctor visits. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive insurance – This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as rock chips in glass, hail damage, damage from flooding and a broken windshield. The most your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.
Collision coverage – This will pay to fix damage to your Focus resulting from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
As you restructure your insurance plan, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that they should have had better coverage. The goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate.
Cost effective 2001 Ford Focus insurance can be found from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. Some companies may not provide the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers work with local independent agencies.
Insureds change insurance companies for any number of reasons including an unsatisfactory settlement offer, policy non-renewal, questionable increases in premium or poor customer service. Whatever your reason, finding a great new company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
Even more information can be found by following these links:
Agatha White
Compared auto insurance prices with State Farm and Progressive but still not cheap enough.
Elwood Holder
Allstate was cheapest for my 2001 Ford Focus in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Rory Crosby
Like your site, BTW. I live in Birmingham, AL. I don’t recall every quote but I ended up saving about $20 each month. I have kids on my policy, too.
Bridgette Wallace
Liked the article. I’m in Cedar Rapids, IA. I compared lots of rates. Saved darn near $30 a month. GEICO was the cheapest option for me. Left Safeco to switch.
Trey Pruitt
I live south of New Orleans, Louisiana. I don’t recall every quote but I ended up saving about $30 each month. Left Liberty Mutual to switch. Teenage drivers are expensive! My Focus doesn’t have full coverage.
Carissa Sherman
I found pretty cheap rate quotes for a 2001 Ford Focus in Charleston, SC. Ended up at about $60 every six months with AIG Insurance. Left AAA to switch. Anyone else drop full coverage?
Tuyet Murphy
I’m in South Burlington, VT. Received prices from Auto-Owners, Safeco, and Western Auto Insurance for my Ford and am saving around $110 a year. Good savings if you bundle. It’s easy to compare rates online now. I don’t insure for physical damage though.
Willard Contreras
This is too expensive. From a town just southwest of Parkersburg, WV. Got free quotes online for a 2001 Ford Focus. Ended up at about $80 savings annually. Went with Progressive. Was with Hartford. I used their online quote form to compare rates.
Kaye Romero
Are Allstate rates cheap in New Mexico?
Maryland Schroeder
I’m in the east part of Missoula, Montana. Received quotes from AAA, Sentry, and some smaller one I can’t remember the name of for my Ford and cut my rates about $90 a year. I even had a DUI years ago. Still almost need a second mortgage. Liability only on my Ford.
Lelia Waters
Live in the northern part of Columbus, OH. Went online for free insurance quotes for a 2001 Ford Focus. Ended up at about $100 savings annually. Went with Allstate. Insured with AIG Insurance before. Just liability coverage since it’s getting old.
Wynell Benjamin
Nice post. I live north of Kansas City, MO. Got quotes with Auto-Owners, Nationwide, and some smaller one I can’t remember the name of for my Ford and saved just over $60 a year. Left Western Auto Insurance to switch. I have a teen driver too.
Sacha Kennedy
Well-written and thought out article. I’m in the suburbs of New Orleans, LA. Can’t remember who all I quoted but I ended up saving about $20 each month. I have several vehicles insured with them. Are quotes cheaper online? I don’t have comp or collision coverage.