2010 Toyota Matrix Insurance Quotes – 10 Tips for Cheaper Rates

Trying to find cheaper car insurance rates for your Toyota Matrix? Nobody gets a kick out of paying for car insurance, particularly when the cost is too high. You have so many insurers to choose from, and although it’s a good thing to be able to choose, having more insurers makes it harder to locate the cheapest rates.

Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have car insurance now, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using these tips. Drivers just need to learn the tricks to compare company rates online.

How much does auto insurance cost?

Getting a cheaper price on 2010 Toyota Matrix insurance doesn’t have to be difficult. Drivers just need to take time comparing rate quotes to see which company has low cost auto insurance quotes. Price comparisons can be done in a couple of different ways.

1. The best way to find the lowest comparison rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This style of form keeps you from doing separate forms for each company. One quote request will return price quotes from multiple low-cost companies.
2. A more difficult way to analyze rates is going to each company’s website and repeat the quote process. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want comparison quotes from Geico, Liberty Mutual and GMAC. To do that, you would have to go to each individual site and repeatedly type in your coverage information, which can get rather old.

   For a list of links to companies insuring cars in your area, click here.

Compare rates however you want, just do your best to use nearly identical coverage limits and deductibles on every quote you get. If the quotes have differing limits it’s not possible to decipher which rate is best.

Insurance coverage policy discounts you can’t miss

Some companies don’t necessarily list every possible discount very well, so we took the time to find a few of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving when you buy auto insurance online. If you are not receiving all the discounts possible, you could be paying more than you need to.

• E-sign Discounts
• Braking Control Discount – Cars and trucks that have anti-lock braking systems can stop better under adverse conditions and will save you 10% or more.
• Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies provide a discount for switching policies before your current coverage expires. Ten percent is about the average savings.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a course teaching safe driver skills could earn you a small percentage discount and also improve your driving technique.
• Discounts for Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government may qualify for a discount when you quote auto insurance on Matrix coverage with some insurance coverage companies.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts can save a little off PIP or medical payments premium.
• Telematics Data – Policyholders that allow data collection to study vehicle usage remotely such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could save a few bucks as long as the data is positive.
• Multi-line Discount – Not all insurance carriers offer life insurance, but some may give you better premium rates if you take out life insurance.
• Bundle and Save – If you can bundle your home and auto insurance with one insurance company they may give you a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
• Military Deployment Discount – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.

A quick disclaimer, some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way. But all discounts will reduce the premium cost.

A few popular companies and a selection of discounts are included below.

• Progressive has discounts for multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and good student.
• Geico offers discounts including driver training, membership and employees, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, anti-theft, and good student.
• State Farm offers premium reductions for passive restraint, anti-theft, good driver, multiple policy, and student away at school.
• Esurance includes discounts for homeowner, emergency road assistance, safety device, defensive driver, renters, and good driver.
• The Hartford discounts include vehicle fuel type, good student, anti-theft, air bag, driver training, bundle, and defensive driver.

Before you buy a policy, ask each company or agent which discounts they offer. Some discounts may not apply in your area. If you would like to choose from a list of insurance companies who offer online insurance coverage quotes, click here to view.

Insurance agents can help

When buying adequate coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether you could use an agent’s help.

• Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
• I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
• Are my friends covered when driving my 2010 Toyota Matrix?
• What happens if I owe more than my 2010 Toyota Matrix is worth?
• Does insurance cover damages from a DUI accident?
• Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance coverages

Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverage types available from insurance companies.

Coverage for medical expenses

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for expenses such as prosthetic devices, EMT expenses, doctor visits and X-ray expenses. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Coverage for liability

This provides protection from damage or injury you incur to people or other property in an accident. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 which means a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability insurance covers things such as attorney fees, court costs, repair costs for stationary objects, emergency aid and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as much as you can afford.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your Toyota Matrix.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from 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 coverage pays for claims like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a bird, hitting a deer, a broken windshield and vandalism. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Collision coverage protection

Collision coverage covers damage to your Matrix from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a mailbox, colliding with another moving vehicle, damaging your car on a curb and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Be a penny pincher

While you’re price shopping online, never buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

You just read a lot of techniques to get a better price on 2010 Toyota Matrix insurance. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small local company. Some small companies may have significantly lower auto insurance rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or Geico.

More detailed car insurance information is available in these articles:

• What Determines the Price of My Auto Insurance Policy? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Get the Right Protection (InsureUonline.org)
• Airbag FAQ (iihs.org)
• Red Light Cameras (State Farm)
• Choosing a Car for Your Teen (State Farm)