2004 Nissan Pathfinder Insurance Rates – 9 Tips to Save

Looking for lower insurance coverage rates for your Nissan Pathfinder? Are you kicking yourself for buying overpriced insurance coverage? You’re preaching to the choir because many drivers have buyer’s remorse. Consumers have multiple auto insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, so many choices can make it hard to get the best deal.

Ways to get car insurance price quotes

Effectively comparing car insurance prices is a ton of work if you don’t know the most efficient way to do it. You could waste a few hours talking about coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you could use online quotes to quickly compare rates.

All the larger companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers enter their coverage request one time, and at least one company then returns a price quote. This eliminates the need for form submissions to every company.

To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The only downside to using this type of system is you don’t know exactly which carriers to get pricing from. So if you want to select specific providers to compare, we have a page of companies who write car insurance in your area. Click here to view list.

Whichever way you choose to compare rates, make sure you compare equivalent quote data on every price quote you get. If you compare different deductibles it’s impossible to get a fair rate comparison.

Do drivers who switch really save?

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for cheaper car insurance by companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to advertise claims that drivers will save a bundle after switching your coverage to them.

Is it even possible that every company can charge you a lower premium? It’s all in the words they use.

Companies quote their cheapest rates for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a driver they prefer could be a married male, is a homeowner, and does not commute to work. A customer getting a price quote that meets those criteria gets the lowest rates and therefore will save money with a new company.

Drivers who do not meet those standards may receive a higher rate and ends up with business going elsewhere. The trick companies use is to say “drivers that switch” not “everyone who quotes” can get the lowest rates when switching. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those statements.

Because of this risk profiling, it’s extremely important to compare price quotes frequently. It’s not possible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Affordable car insurance rates with discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always list every available discount very clearly, so below is a list some of the more common as well as some of the hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you buy auto insurance online.

• Driving Data Discount – Insureds who allow their car insurance company to analyze driving patterns by using a telematics device such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system may get a rate reduction as long as they are good drivers.
• Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
• Student Driver Training – Require your teen driver to participate in a local driver’s education class as it can save substantially.
• Own a Home – Owning a home can get you a discount because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
• Student in College – Older children who live away from home at college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may qualify for this discount.
• Senior Citizens – Seniors are able to get reduced rates on Pathfinder insurance.
• Sign Early and Save – A few car insurance companies offer discounts for switching policies before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
• Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have anti-lock braking systems can stop better under adverse conditions and earn discounts up to 10%.

As a sidenote, most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you’re out of luck.

A few companies that may offer policyholders these money-saving discounts include:

• Progressive
• The Hartford
• Mercury Insurance
• Geico
• AAA
• State Farm

If you want low cost auto insurance quotes, ask every company which discounts can lower your rates. A few discounts may not be available everywhere. For a list of insurers that offer discounts, follow this link.

Tailor your auto insurance coverage to you

When it comes to buying the best auto insurance coverage, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
• Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in my state?
• Are my friends covered when driving my car?
• Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
• Does insurance cover damages from a DUI accident?
• How do I buy GAP insurance?
• If my pet gets injured in an accident are they covered?

If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, free and can help protect your family.

Coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are the normal coverages offered by insurance companies.

Liability insurance

This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people by causing an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for claims like structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Medical costs insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for bills such as rehabilitation expenses, ambulance fees, dental work and doctor visits. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

Comprehensive insurance covers 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 coverage protects against things such as hitting a deer, vandalism, hail damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and falling objects. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for collisions

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for things such as scraping a guard rail, damaging your car on a curb, rolling your car, crashing into a ditch and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

UM/UIM Coverage

This coverage provides protection when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Nissan Pathfinder.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Shop. Compare. Save.

You just learned some good ideas how to shop for 2004 Nissan Pathfinder insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the best price on insurance is with a small mutual company. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets compared to the large companies like Allstate and Progressive.

Budget-conscious 2004 Nissan Pathfinder insurance can be bought online and from local insurance agents, so get free auto insurance quotes from both of them to have the best selection. Some insurance companies may not offer internet price quotes and usually these small insurance companies prefer to sell through independent insurance agents.

Even more information is located in these articles:

• Rollover Crash FAQ (iihs.org)
• Teen Driving Statistics (Geico)
• What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover? (Allstate)
• Drunk Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Vehicle Safety Ratings (iihs.org)