How Much Does 2010 Toyota RAV4 Car Insurance Cost?

Having to pay for high-priced insurance can eat up your budget and put a big crunch on your finances. Lots of car insurance companies contend for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every company to find the absolute lowest rate possible.

If you are insured now or need a new policy, you can use these techniques to reduce the price you pay and possibly find even better coverage. Buying car insurance is easy if you know what you’re doing. Drivers only need to know how to get comparison quotes over the internet.

Lower your insurance prices

Part of the insurance buying process is learning the rating factors that help calculate your policy premiums. When you know what positively or negatively determines premiums, this enables informed choices that may result in lower insurance prices.

• Improve your credit score – Having a bad credit score is likely to be a major factor in determining premium rates. People with good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower credit ratings. If your credit history can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your 2010 Toyota RAV4 by improving your rating.
• Keep insurance claims to a minimum – Car insurance companies provide cheaper rates to insureds who do not file claims often. If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can definitely plan on higher rates. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
• Driving citations can increase premiums – A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Getting just one moving violation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Careful drivers get better rates compared to bad drivers. People who have flagrant violations such as reckless driving or DUI may find they need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to legally drive.
• See if your company offers a multi-policy discount – The majority of insurers will give lower prices to insureds that have more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can be ten or even fifteen percent. Even if you’re getting this discount drivers will still want to shop around to make sure you are getting the best deal.
• Save by driving safer cars – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Toyota RAV4 scored better than an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it may cost less to insure.

Discounts for cheap auto insurance rates

Car insurance companies do not list every disount available in a way that’s easy to find, so below is a list some of the more common as well as the least known discounts that may be available.

• Discount for Life Insurance – Not all auto insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you better prices if you take out life insurance from them.
• Own a Home – Owning a house can earn you a little savings due to the fact that maintaining a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
• ABS Braking Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
• Student Discount for Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to sucessfully take a drivers education course as it can save substantially.
• Driver Safety – Taking time to complete a defensive driver course may get you a small discount and also improve your driving technique.
• Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member could mean lower premium rates.
• Membership in Organizations – Participating in a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates on your bill.
• Discounts for Government Workers – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off for RAV4 insurance with a few auto insurance companies.
• Student in College – Children living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.

A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, you aren’t that lucky.

For a list of auto insurance companies who offer free auto insurance quotes, click this link.

Save $485 a year? Really?

Consumers can’t get away from all the ads for the lowest price insurance coverage by State Farm, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to make the same claim that you can save if you get a free insurance quote and switch your coverage to them.

How do they all offer drivers better rates? You have to listen carefully.

Insurance companies provide the lowest rates for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a driver they prefer could be a married male, is a homeowner, and has excellent credit. Anyone that hits that “sweet spot” will most likely get cheap prices and most likely will save some money.

Drivers who fall outside the requirements must pay a higher premium and business not being written. If you pay attention, the ads say “drivers that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can make those claims.

This really emphasizes why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. It is impossible to predict which insurance coverage company will fit your personal profile best.

Tailor your insurance coverage coverage to you

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. These are some specific questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
• Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
• Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
• Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
• What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
• Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
• Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
• Should I buy full coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Coverage specifics

Understanding the coverages of your insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are the usual coverages available from insurance companies.

Comprehensive insurance – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like fire damage, hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane, theft and hail damage. The highest amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Toyota RAV4.

Since a lot of drivers 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 should not be overlooked. Frequently these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Liability coverages – This can cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property. This coverage protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is a combined limit which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things such as legal defense fees, attorney fees, structural damage, bail bonds and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for expenses for hospital visits, nursing services and dental work. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Collision coverage – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things like crashing into a ditch, crashing into a building, driving through your garage door, sustaining damage from a pot hole and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest

We covered a lot of information how to lower your 2010 Toyota RAV4 insurance prices. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the best prices are with the smaller companies. They can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.

More affordable insurance can be purchased online and also from your neighborhood agents, so get free insurance quotes from both of them in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies may not have the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies only sell through local independent agents.

When searching for cheaper insurance quotes, never buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at the lowest possible cost, but do not skimp to save money.

Helpful learning opportunities

• Auto Insurance Learning Center (State Farm)
• How Much Auto Coverage do I Need? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
• Child Safety FAQ (iihs.org)
• Avoiding Deer Collisions (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Teen Driving and Texting (State Farm)