Compare 2006 Toyota Matrix Car Insurance Cost

Did you come to the realization that you have an overpriced insurance policy? Don’t sweat it because many consumers feel financially strained by their insurance policy.

Popular companies such as Progressive, State Farm and Geico constantly blast consumers with TV and radio ads and it is difficult to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and do the work needed to find the best deal.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. Finding the best rates is not rocket science. Nevertheless, drivers do need to know how insurance companies price insurance differently and apply this information to your search.

More affordable rates by getting discounts

Some insurance providers do not advertise the entire discount list very well, so below is a list some of the best known as well as the least known discounts that you may qualify for.

• Early Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once rather than spreading payments over time you can avoid the installment charge.
• Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to participate in a local driver’s education class in high school.
• No Claim Discounts – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay less compared to drivers with a long claim history.
• Federal Employees – Active or former government employment may qualify for a discount when you quote auto insurance for Matrix insurance but check with your company.
• Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Factory options such as air bags could see savings of 25 to 30%.
• Save over 55 – Mature drivers can possibly qualify for reduced rates for Matrix insurance.
• Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save a little off PIP or medical payments premium.
• Good Student – Excelling in school may save as much as 25% on a auto insurance quote. You can use this discount normally until age 25.
• Sign Early and Save – A few larger companies allow discounts for buying a policy before your current expiration date. You may see this discount when you get auto insurance quotes online.

Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free insurance coverage policy, that’s just not realistic. Any qualifying discounts should help lower your insurance coverage premiums.

A few of the larger companies and a partial list of their discounts are shown below.

• State Farm may offer discounts for anti-theft, accident-free, good student, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
• Geico includes discounts for multi-policy, driver training, anti-lock brakes, military active duty, multi-vehicle, good student, and anti-theft.
• Liberty Mutual offers discounts including newly retired, newly married, new move discount, safety features, preferred payment discount, and good student.
• The Hartford discounts include anti-theft, defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, air bag, bundle, driver training, and good student.
• MetLife offers premium reductions for multi-policy, good student, defensive driver, good driver, and accident-free.
• Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online signing, and online quote discount.

When quoting, ask each company how you can save money. All car insurance discounts may not apply to policyholders in your area.

How to compare auto insurance quotes

There are a lot of ways to shop for auto insurance, but there is one way that is more efficient than others. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could use online quotes to quickly compare rates.

Many of the larger companies belong to a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and each participating company can give them a price based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing form submissions for each company you want a rate for. To enter your information into the quoting system, click here to open in new window.

The one downside to using this type of form is you can’t choose which insurance companies to receive prices from. So if you prefer to pick individual companies to request quotes from, we have a listing of low cost auto insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.

Whichever way you choose to compare rates, double check that you are using nearly identical coverage limits and deductibles with each company. If your comparisons have higher or lower deductibles it will be next to impossible to decipher which rate is best. Quoting even small variations in limits can make a big difference in price. Just remember that comparing more company’s prices provides better odds of finding a lower rate than you’re paying now.

Get Toyota Matrix insurance at a discount

Many factors are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but some are more transparent such as your marital status or your commute time.

• Safer the car lower the rate – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company which can result in lower premiums. If the Toyota Matrix scored better than an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website you are probably receiving a discount.
• No policy claims equals cheap rates – Companies generally give cheaper rates to people who are not frequent claim filers. If you file claims often, you can expect higher rates. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for more catestrophic claims.
• Companies want multiple policies – Lots of companies apply discounts to clients who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even though this discount sounds good, consumers should still compare other company rates to help ensure you have the lowest rates.
• Premiums can change based on your address – Having an address in a small town can save you money when shopping for auto insurance. Less people means reduced accidents. Residents of big cities have much more traffic and longer commute times. The longer drive time translates into higher accident risk.
• High credit scores save money – A driver’s credit history factor in determining what you pay for insurance coverage. Therefore, if your credit score can be improved, you may save money insuring your 2006 Toyota Matrix by improving your rating. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims than those with poor credit scores.

Your car insurance coverage should be tailored to you

When choosing the best car insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions might help in determining whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
• Can my teen drive my company car?
• Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
• Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
• Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?
• Am I insured when driving a different vehicle?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Car insurance policy specifics

Knowing the specifics of car insurance helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the normal coverages available from car insurance companies.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like rock chips in glass, vandalism, theft and damage from flooding. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Collision protection

This coverage covers damage to your Matrix resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things like rolling your car, colliding with a tree and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Liability

Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people by causing an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

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

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses for chiropractic care, rehabilitation expenses, X-ray expenses and dental work. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover all vehicle occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

As you restructure your insurance plan, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced full coverage only to regret that they should have had better coverage. Your goal is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

We just covered a lot of techniques to save on 2006 Toyota Matrix insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive auto insurance. You may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or Geico.

Cheaper auto insurance is possible both online and from local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers do not offer internet price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers sell through independent agencies.

For more information, link through to the articles below:

• Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)
• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
• Senior Drivers (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)