Lower Your 2009 Jeep Patriot Insurance Quotes

Searching for better insurance coverage rates for your Jeep Patriot? Being forced to pay for expensive insurance coverage premiums can sap your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses.

Vehicle owners have multiple insurers to insure vehicles with, and even though it’s nice to be able to choose, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates and find the lowest cost insurance coverage.

You should make it a habit to compare premium rates occasionally because insurance coverage prices change quite often. Even if you got the best rate on Patriot coverage at your last renewal there is a good chance you can find better premium rates now. Forget all the misinformation about insurance coverage because you’re about to learn one of the best ways to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

Low cost insurance prices

When looking for affordable auto insurance quotes, there are a couple ways to obtain and compare prices from local insurance companies. The fastest way to find cheaper 2009 Jeep Patriot rates is to get quotes online. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

One of the simplest ways to find the lowest comparison rates is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This quick form prevents you from having to do multiple quote forms for every insurance company. Completing one form gets you price quotes from multiple companies.

A different way to get comparison quotes consists of visiting each individual company website and repeat the quote process. For example, let’s assume you want to get rates from Auto-Owners, Safeco and Geico. You would be required to navigate to each company’s site to input your insurance information, which can be really labor intensive.

To view a list of companies in your area, click here.

The final method to find lower rates is actually driving to and from local insurance agencies. The internet makes this unnecessary unless you have a need for the peace of mind that can only be provided by a licensed insurance agent. It is possible to compare the best prices online but have your policy serviced through an agent.

It’s up to you which method you use, but make sure you use exactly the same coverage information with each company. If your comparisons have different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to determine which company has the best rates. Slightly different coverages can result in a big premium difference. Just keep in mind that comparing more company’s prices will improve the odds of getting a better price. Not every company provides online price quotes, so you also need to get prices from them, too.

Does auto insurance advertising bend the truth?

State Farm and Allstate consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the companies tend to make the same promise that you’ll save big just by switching your policy. How is it possible that every company can say the same thing? You have to listen carefully.

All the different companies look for specific characteristics for the type of customer they prefer to insure. For instance, this type of insured may be between 25 and 40, has no claims, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. A driver who matches those parameters will get a cheap rate quote and most likely will save a lot if they switch.

People who do not fit the “perfect” profile will get more expensive rates and the customer buying from someone else. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “customers who switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” will save that much if they switch. That’s the way companies can make claims that they all have the best car insurance rates. Different companies use different criteria so drivers should do a rate comparison at every renewal. Because you cannot predict which insurance companies will have better rates than you’re paying now.

Get lower-cost rates by earning discounts

Some providers don’t always advertise all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below gives a summary of some of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts that may be available.

• Discount for Life Insurance – Some insurance carriers give a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking a safe driver course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Accident Forgiveness Coverage – but companies like Geico, Allstate and Liberty Mutual may permit one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with lower insurancerates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Payment Method – By making one initial payment instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
• Good Grades Discount – A discount for being a good student may save as much as 25% on a auto insurance quote. You can use this discount normally well after school through age 25.
• Auto/Home Discount – If you can combine your home and auto policy with the same company you could save 10% to 20% off each policy.
• Government Employee Discount – Active or former government employment could cut as much as 10% off on Patriot coverage with select insurance companies.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

Companies and their offered discounts can be found below.

• State Farm has discounts for student away at school, anti-theft, driver’s education, accident-free, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and good driver.
• Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for youthful driver, early shopping, electronic funds transfer, distant student, business and professional, and mature driver.
• Progressive may offer discounts for continuous coverage, online signing, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and good student.
• Geico policyholders can earn discounts including driver training, seat belt use, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, multi-policy, membership and employees, and federal employee.
• Auto-Owners Insurance may include discounts for multi-policy, safe vehicle, group or association, mature driver, anti-lock brakes, and air bags.
• The Hartford includes discounts for good student, vehicle fuel type, driver training, bundle, air bag, anti-theft, and defensive driver.
• Farm Bureau offers discounts for renewal discount, driver training, multi-vehicle, safe driver, multi-policy, and youthful driver.
• USAA may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, driver training, new vehicle, good student, and family discount.

Before you buy a policy, ask every company the best way to save money. Some credits might not be available to policyholders in your area. If you would like to choose from a list of providers who offer insurance discounts, follow this link.

Your insurance coverage should be tailored to you

When buying the best insurance coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine if you would benefit from professional advice.

• What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
• Are rental cars covered under my policy?
• Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
• How do I insure my teen driver?
• Am I covered if I hit my neighbor’s mailbox?
• Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
• Will filing a claim cost me more?
• Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area.

Specific coverages for a Jeep Patriot

Knowing the specifics of a auto insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.

Medical expense insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for bills for pain medications, nursing services and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover you and your occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

Auto liability

This coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage 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 per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 which stand for $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability can pay for claims such as medical expenses, attorney fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, emergency aid and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying as much as you can afford.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

This will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like theft, hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane, rock chips in glass and damage from getting keyed. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision insurance

Collision insurance covers damage to your Patriot caused by collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as crashing into a building, colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree and damaging your car on a curb. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Jeep Patriot.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest

When shopping online for auto insurance, never buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that they should have had better coverage. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best possible price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

Budget-conscious 2009 Jeep Patriot insurance is available online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not offer rate quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through local independent agencies.

Helpful articles

• Vehicle Safety Ratings (iihs.org)
• Teen Driving Statistics (Geico)
• Drunk Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Learn About Car Insurance (Geico)
• What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Insitute)