2003 Toyota Prius Insurance Cost – 8 Ideas for Cheaper Prices

Searching for cheaper insurance coverage rates for your Toyota Prius? Finding a different company that has inexpensive insurance coverage can be a challenge if you’ve never compared online price comparisons. Don’t let the process intimidate you because there is an easy way to compare rates.

Consumers should take time to quote other rates before your next renewal because rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest rate for Prius coverage a couple years back you can probably find a better price now. There is lot of inaccurate information about insurance coverage on the web, but in a few minutes you can learn a bunch of ideas how to find cheap insurance coverage.

If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. This information will teach you how to get online quotes. Nevertheless, drivers do need to learn the methods companies use to market on the web and take advantage of how the system works.

Quote auto insurance online

When looking for cheap insurance coverage quotes, there are a couple ways of comparing rate quotes from different companies. By far the easiest way to find affordable 2003 Toyota Prius insurance rates consists of shopping online. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

1. If you’re in a hurry, the quickest way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This easy form keeps you from doing separate quotes for each company. One form submission gets insurance cost estimates from many national carriers.It’s the quickest way to get rates.
2. A less efficient way to shop for auto insurance online is going to each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want rates from USAA, Safeco and Geico. To do that, you would have to take the time to go to each site and type in your information over and over, which is why most consumers use the first method. To view a list of companies in your area, click here.

How you compare quotes is your choice, just be sure to compare nearly identical quote data for each comparison quote. If you use different liability limits then you won’t be able to determine which company has the best rates. Even a minor difference in insurance coverages or limits may result in large price differences. And when comparison shopping, having more price comparisons helps locate a lower rate than you’re paying now.

Car insurance rates and discounts

Some insurers don’t necessarily list all possible discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using when you buy insurance coverage online.

• Onboard Data Collection – Drivers that enable their company to track when and where they use their vehicle remotely like Allstate’s Drivewise might see lower rates as long as they are good drivers.
• Drive Safe and Save – Insureds who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more for Prius coverage compared to accident prone drivers.
• College Student Discount – Kids who live away from home at college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
• No Claim Discounts – Insureds with no claims or accidents can save substantially compared to accident-prone drivers.
• Own a Home – Simply owning a home can save a few bucks because it shows financial diligence.
• Safety Restraint Discount – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could cut 10% or more off the medical payments premium.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and that can save you a little bit as well.
• Discounts for Federal Employees – Active or former government employment could qualify for a slight premium decrease for Prius coverage depending on your company.

One thing to note about discounts is that most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, that’s just not realistic.

Larger car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are included below.

• AAA policyholders can earn discounts including good driver, pay-in-full, anti-theft, multi-policy, AAA membership discount, and multi-car.
• Progressive includes discounts for continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-vehicle, online signing, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
• State Farm offers discounts for Steer Clear safe driver discount, accident-free, anti-theft, safe vehicle, and student away at school.
• Esurance may include discounts for claim free, Pac-12 alumni, online shopper, emergency road assistance, good driver, anti-theft, and Switch & Save.
• Nationwide offers discounts including easy pay, Farm Bureau membership, anti-theft, good student, and business or organization.

When comparing rates, check with each company how many discounts you can get. Discounts may not be offered in your area. For a list of insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts, click this link.

Situations that may require an agent’s advice

When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Every situation is different.

These are some specific questions could help you determine whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.

• Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
• Does insurance cover tools stolen from my truck?
• Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
• What can I do if my company denied a claim?
• Am I insured when driving a different vehicle?
• Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
• When should I drop full coverage on my 2003 Toyota Prius?
• Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?

If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.

Auto insurance specifics

Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like falling objects, vandalism and hail damage. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Auto liability

Liability insurance protects you from damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 bodily injury coverage, $300,000 for the entire accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things like medical services, bail bonds, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy as large an amount as possible.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Toyota Prius.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for expenses for hospital visits, surgery and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Collision insurance

This pays for damage to your Prius resulting from a collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for claims like sideswiping another vehicle, scraping a guard rail and rolling your car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

The bottom line

We just showed you a lot of tips how to reduce 2003 Toyota Prius insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies.

More affordable auto insurance is attainable online as well as from insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who may not offer price quotes online and usually these regional carriers prefer to sell through local independent agents.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s a bad idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice collision coverage only to find out that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

More information is located on the following sites:

• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
• Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)
• What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Insitute)