Save on 2005 Ford Focus Insurance Quotes

Trying to find lower car insurance rates for your Ford Focus? Did you come to the realization that you have an expensive car insurance policy? You’re preaching to the choir because you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.

Popular companies such as Geico and Progressive increase brand awareness with advertising and it is difficult to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and do the work needed to find the best deal.

More discounts mean lower-cost premiums

Some insurance providers do not list their entire list of discounts very clearly, so we break down a few of the more well known and the harder-to-find credits that you can use to lower your rates. If you do not check that you are getting every discount available, you could be paying more than you need to.

• Multi-car Discount – Purchasing coverage when you have more than one vehicle with the same company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
• Renewal Discounts – Some companies reward drivers for buying a policy before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies and insure them with the same company you could earn a discount of as much as 10 to 15 percent.
• Home Ownership Discount – Owning your own home or condo can get you a discount due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
• Memberships – Being a member of qualifying employment or professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums when shopping for insurance coverage.
• Discounts for Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government may reduce rates when you quote insurance on Focus insurance with a few insurance coverage companies.
• Accident Forgiveness – Not a discount per se, but companies like Allstate and Geico will let one accident slide without raising rates so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.
• Discount for Good Grades – Getting good grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. You can use this discount normally up to age 25.

Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will positively reduce the cost of coverage.

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

• American Family offers premium reductions for multi-vehicle, defensive driver, Steer into Savings, TimeAway discount, early bird, good driver, and accident-free.
• State Farm has savings for good driver, safe vehicle, passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple autos, and Drive Safe & Save.
• 21st Century discounts include theft prevention, good student, automatic seat belts, homeowners, and early bird.
• Travelers offers discounts including payment discounts, continuous insurance, good student, multi-car, and new car.
• Geico has discounts for federal employee, anti-lock brakes, defensive driver, multi-policy, seat belt use, five-year accident-free, and good student.

When quoting, ask every prospective company to give you their best rates. Some discounts may not be offered in every state.

It’s not one size fits all

When choosing adequate coverage, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

• Should I get collision insurance on every vehicle?
• I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
• What is UM/UIM insurance?
• When should I not file a claim?
• Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?
• Is motorclub coverage worth it?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Save $421 a year? Really?

Companies like Progressive, Geico, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads in print and on television. They all have a common claim that drivers will save a bundle after switching your policy. How is it plausible that every one can make almost identical claims? It’s all in the wording.

Insurance providers offer their best rates for the driver that makes them money. For example, a driver they prefer may need to be between the ages of 30 and 50, owns their home, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Someone that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.

Insureds who do not fit the requirements may be required to pay more expensive rates which results in business not being written. The ads state “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save the amount stated. That’s the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

Because each company has a different risk profile, you absolutely need to get price quotes at each policy renewal. It’s not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Car insurance coverage information

Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your 2005 Ford Focus.

Since 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. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Coverage for collisions

This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Focus resulting from a 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 coverage protects against claims such as sideswiping another vehicle, driving through your garage door and crashing into a ditch. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Comprehensive car insurance

Comprehensive insurance pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like hitting a bird, fire damage and theft. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Auto liability

Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for things like medical services, funeral expenses and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.

Coverage for medical expenses

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses for nursing services, rehabilitation expenses and surgery. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

Stretch your dollar

When you buy insurance online, make sure you don’t reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

The cheapest 2005 Ford Focus insurance can be found on the web and also from your neighborhood agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best rate selection. A few companies may not provide online rate quotes and many times these regional carriers prefer to sell through local independent agents.

We just covered a lot of information how to shop for 2005 Ford Focus insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get premium rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding cheap insurance. You may even find the most savings is with the smaller companies. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.

To learn more, take a look at the following helpful articles:

• How to Avoid Common Accidents (State Farm)
• Who Has the Cheapest Tulsa Auto Insurance Rates for a Ford Focus? (TulsaCoverage.com)
• Preventing Carjacking and Theft (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Child Safety Seats (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)