2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Car Insurance Rates – 9 Savings Tips

Looking for cheaper insurance coverage rates for your BMW ActiveHybrid 7? If you are new to getting car insurance quotes online, it’s easy to be overwhelmed thanks to the vast number of insurance coverage companies who all claim to have the lowest rates.

It’s a great practice to do rate comparisons on a regular basis because insurance coverage prices trend upward over time. Even if you think you had the best deal on ActiveHybrid 7 insurance at your last renewal the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about insurance coverage because you’re about to learn the tricks you need to know to find great coverage at a great price.

How to compare car insurance rate quotes

The majority of larger companies allow you to get coverage price quotes direct online. Obtaining pricing is quite simple as all you need to do is type in the coverage amounts you desire on the page. After you complete the form, the quote system orders your driving record and credit report and gives you a price quote based on many factors.

This streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit many different websites and type in your information can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s also necessary to get many rate quotes in order to find lower prices.

There is a better way to compare rates

A better way to compare rates requires only one form to get prices from a bunch of companies at once. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online shopping much easier. Immediately after submitting the form, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the quote results.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. This process just takes a couple of minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.

In order to find out how much you can save on car insurance, simply click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter as shown on your current policy. Doing this assures you will receive a rate comparison using the same coverage and limits.

Drivers who switch save $416 a year? Really?

Big name companies like State Farm and Allstate constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. All the companies have a common claim that you’ll save big just by switching your insurance coverage to their company. How is it possible that every company can offer drivers better rates? Just pay attention to how they say it.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of this type of driver may need to be between the ages of 30 and 45, has no driving citations, and chooses high deductibles. Any customer that fits those parameters will get a cheap rate quote and is almost guaranteed to save if they switch.

Potential insureds who may not quite match this stringent profile will have to pay a higher premium and the customer buying from someone else. If you listen closely, the ads state “people who switch” not “everyone who quotes” save that much. That is how companies can make claims like that.

Because every company is different, you should compare free car insurance quotes often. It is just not possible to predict which company will have the best premium rates at this point in time.

Affordable insurance quotes with discounts

Some providers do not advertise every available discount very clearly, so the list below gives a summary of both the well known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving when you buy car insurance online.

• Distant Student – who are attending college and do not take a car to college may be able to be covered for less.
• Telematics Data Discounts – Insureds that choose to allow driving data collection to track vehicle usage by installing a telematics device such as Progressive’s Snapshot may get a rate reduction if they have good driving habits.
• Membership in Organizations – Joining certain professional organizations could earn you a nice discount on your next insurance statement.
• Anti-lock Brake System – Cars and trucks with ABS and/or traction control have fewer accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on a single policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
• Good Students Pay Less – Maintaining excellent grades could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to participate in a local driver’s education class in high school.
• Homeowners Savings – Owning a home may trigger a policy discount on insurance since owning and maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
• Defensive Driver – Taking a course in defensive driver could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.

A little disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.

A list of companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.

• Farm Bureau includes discounts for youthful driver, multi-policy, driver training, 55 and retired, multi-vehicle, and safe driver.
• State Farm may have discounts that include anti-theft, accident-free, safe vehicle, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and driver’s education.
• Progressive offers discounts for multi-vehicle, online signing, homeowner, online quote discount, good student, continuous coverage, and multi-policy.
• Allstate may offer discounts for anti-theft, anti-lock brakes, auto/life discount, EZ pay plan discount, good payer, and FullPay discount.
• Nationwide has discounts for Farm Bureau membership, defensive driving, easy pay, accident-free, anti-theft, good student, and family plan.
• MetLife offers premium reductions for good student, good driver, accident-free, defensive driver, claim-free, multi-policy

If you want inexpensive car insurance quotes, ask all the companies which credits you are entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply in your state. To choose insurers offering insurance discounts, follow this link.

Tailor your insurance coverage coverage to you

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique.

These are some specific questions might help in determining if you could use an agent’s help.

• Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
• Why am I required to buy liability insurance?
• Does coverage extend to Mexico or Canada?
• Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 is totaled?
• Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
• Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
• Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
• Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
• Is my BMW ActiveHybrid 7 covered if I use it for business?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.

Specific coverage details

Learning about specific coverages of insurance can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

This gives you protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Comprehensive coverages

This coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things like hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The highest amount your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Coverage for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for expenses like prosthetic devices, rehabilitation expenses, ambulance fees and funeral costs. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Liability

This can cover damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things like loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and attorney fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but buy as large an amount as possible.

Collision protection

Collision coverage pays for damage to your ActiveHybrid 7 resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for claims like crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb, backing into a parked car and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Saving money makes a lot of cents

We just covered quite a bit of information on how to compare 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 insurance premium rates online. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of getting cheaper car insurance. Consumers may even find the lowest premium rates come from a smaller regional carrier.

There are still a few companies who may not offer online price quotes smaller providers prefer to sell through local independent agencies. Lower-priced insurance coverage can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture.

As you restructure your insurance plan, never buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

More detailed insurance coverage information is located by following these links:

• Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver (State Farm)
• Insurance Losses by Make and Model (iihs.org)
• Rollover Crash FAQ (iihs.org)
• How to Avoid Buying a Flooded Car (Insurance Information Insitute)