Lower Your 2002 Chevrolet Astro Insurance Quotes

Want lower insurance rates? Drivers have lots of choices when trying to find affordable Chevy Astro insurance. They can either spend hours struggling with agents trying to get quotes or save time using the internet to find the lowest rates.

There is a right way and a wrong way to shop for insurance and you need to know the best way to compare rates for your Chevy and locate the lowest price.

You should make it a habit to check insurance prices before your policy renews since insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. Just because you had the best deal for Astro insurance at your last renewal you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because you’re about to find out the best way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

You can change your insurance rates

Lots of factors are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. A few of the factors are predictable like your driving record, but some are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.A large part of saving on auto insurance is knowing the different types of things that go into determining the level of your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

The items below are some of the major factors used by your company to calculate your prices.

• Allowing your coverage to lapse raises prices – Driving without insurance coverage in place is not a good idea and any future policy may cost more because you let your insurance expire. Not only will rates go up, failure to provide proof of insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
• Cautious drivers pay lower costs – Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Only having one ticket can increase the cost of insurance by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better rates as compared to those with violations. Drivers who have received dangerous citations like DUI or reckless driving may find they need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
• Consider raising physical damage deductibles – Your deductibles tell how much you are required to spend out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Protection for physical damage, also called comprehensive and collision insurance, insures against damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are colliding with a stationary object, vandalism, or theft of your vehicle. The more damage repair cost you choose to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive for Astro insurance.
• You might want pay the small policy claims yourself – Companies generally give the lowest premiums to drivers who file claims infrequently. If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can look forward to higher premiums or even policy non-renewal. Auto insurance is designed for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
• Additional coverages that may be costing you – Policies have additional extra coverages that sound like a good idea at the time on your 2002 Astro policy. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, high-cost glass coverage, and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may sound like good ideas when talking to your agent, but if you’ve never needed them in the past eliminate them to save money.
• Premiums and your address – Being located in areas with lower population has definite advantages when buying auto insurance. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents. People in densly populated areas regularly have congested traffic and more severe claims. More time commuting statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
• Know your credit score – Credit score factor in determining what you pay. So if your credit rating can be improved, you could be paying less to insure your 2002 Chevrolet Astro if you clean up your credit. Insureds with very high credit ratings tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with poor credit scores.
• Expect high rates for teens – Teenage drivers tend to be inattentive and easily distracted with other occupants in the car and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher. Having to add a first-time driver to your policy can cause a big jump in price. Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims , and are generally more financially stable.

How to lower your auto insurance cost

Cutting your auto insurance rates is surprisingly easy. All that’s required is to spend a little time comparing rates online with multiple companies. Price comparisons can be done using a couple different methods.

1. If you’re in a hurry, the quickest way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This form eliminates the need for separate quote forms to each individual auto insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form will get you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies. This is by far the quickest method.
2. Another way to find better pricing is going to the website of each company and go through the quote process again. For example, let’s say you want to compare rates from USAA, Liberty Mutual and Farmers. You would have to spend time on each company’s site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of companies in your area, click here.

Compare rates however you want, just be certain you are entering exactly the same coverages and limits for each price quote. If each company quotes different coverage information it’s not possible to make a fair comparison for your Chevy Astro.

Insurance advertising gotchas

Consumers can’t get away from all the ads that claim the cheapest premium rates from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the companies convey the message about savings if you change your coverage to them.

It sounds good, but how can they all claim to save you money? It’s all in the words they use.

Many companies quote their best rates for the type of driver that will generate a profit. One example of this type of insured may need to be over the age of 35, has no prior claims, and drives a safe vehicle. Anybody that matches those criteria will probably get cheap rates and therefore will cut their rates if they switch.

Potential insureds who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile may be forced to pay higher prices with the end result being the customer not purchasing. If you pay attention, the ads say “customers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save the amount stated. This is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

Each company has different criteria, so it is so important to get insurance coverage quotes as often as possible. It is impossible to predict with any certainty which company will provide you with the cheapest prices.

Insurance coverage policy discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you might already qualify for some discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you purchase, but some discounts are required to be specially asked for before being credited.

• Pay Early and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Military Deployment Discount – Being deployed with a military unit could qualify you for better insurance coverage rates.
• Responsible Driver Discount – Accident-free drivers can save as much as half off their rates for Astro insurance compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
• Professional Organizations – Having an affiliation with qualifying employment or professional organizations may earn a discount when shopping for insurance coverage.
• Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to fasten their seat belts could save 15% off the medical payments premium.

Policy discounts save money, but some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, insurance coverage companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.

A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts are shown below.

• State Farm offers discounts for good student, driver’s education, anti-theft, defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and multiple autos.
• American Family offers discounts including accident-free, TimeAway discount, air bags, bundled insurance, and Steer into Savings.
• AAA may include discounts for multi-car, good driver, AAA membership discount, anti-theft, education and occupation, and good student.
• Geico discounts include anti-lock brakes, membership and employees, multi-policy, military active duty, emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, and air bags.
• Mercury Insurance has savings for annual mileage, age of vehicle, ease of repair, location of vehicle, and accident-free.
• Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for switch companies, youthful driver, electronic funds transfer, multi-car, and business and professional.
• Progressive includes discounts for continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, and multi-vehicle.

Double check with each company what discounts are available to you. Savings may not apply to policyholders in your area. To view providers who offer insurance coverage discounts, follow this link.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When it comes to buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different.

For example, these questions can help discover if your situation could use an agent’s help.

• How high should my medical payments coverage be?
• Is a blown tire covered by insurance?
• Does my personal policy cover me when driving out-of-state?
• Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
• Am I covered if I break a side mirror?
• Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
• Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
• Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
• Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
• When can I cancel my policy?

If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.

Insurance specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like falling objects, damage from flooding, a broken windshield, damage from getting keyed and rock chips in glass. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Chevy Astro.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Most of the time these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Collision coverage

This pays for damage to your Astro caused by collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a mailbox, rolling your car, driving through your garage door, colliding with a tree and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Liability car insurance

This coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. It protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

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 values of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability insurance covers things like loss of income, emergency aid and funeral expenses. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.

Insurance for medical payments

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills for hospital visits, dental work and pain medications. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Have money to burn

Lower-priced insurance can be sourced from both online companies and from local agencies, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies may not provide rates over the internet and many times these regional carriers provide coverage only through independent insurance agents.

In this article, we covered many ideas to lower your 2002 Chevy Astro insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost insurance coverage. You may even find the best price on insurance is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

People change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as unfair underwriting practices, high prices, being labeled a high risk driver or high rates after DUI convictions. No matter why you want to switch, switching companies is not as difficult as it may seem.

More detailed insurance information can be found at these sites:

• Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
• Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
• Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Insitute)
• How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)