2011 Chevrolet Express Car Insurance Rates – 5 Tricks for Cheaper Quotes

Tired of sacrificing other expenses to buy auto insurance? Your situation is no different than most other drivers. Many insurance companies compete to insure your vehicles, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the absolute lowest rate possible.

Ways to get auto insurance price quotes

There are a variety of methods to shop for auto insurance, but one way is easier and takes less work. You can spend countless hours talking to local insurance agents in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to quickly compare rates.

All the larger companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions to each individual auto insurance company.

To enter your information into the quoting system, click here (opens in new window).

The one disadvantage to doing it this way is you can’t choose the companies to get pricing from. If you prefer to choose individual companies to compare prices, we have a listing of low cost auto insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.

Whichever method you choose, make sure you compare identical coverages for every company. If you are comparing different limits and deductibles on each one it’s impossible to determine the best price for your Chevy Express.

Don’t miss with these five discounts

Car insurance is neither fun to buy or cheap, but you might already qualify for some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you purchase, but occassionally some discounts must be asked about before you get the savings.

• Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home may trigger a policy discount on car insurance since owning and maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
• Driver’s Education for Students – Teen drivers should successfully complete driver’s ed class as it can save substantially.
• Federal Employees – Federal government employees could qualify for a slight premium decrease for Express insurance depending on your company.
• Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Drivers who insure more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Discount for New Cars – Buying a new car instead of a used car can save up to 30% because new model year vehicles are generally safer.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.

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

• State Farm may offer discounts for accident-free, good driver, anti-theft, multiple policy, and safe vehicle.
• Geico includes discounts for federal employee, seat belt use, membership and employees, daytime running lights, and air bags.
• Allstate has savings for FullPay discount, economy car, multi-policy, auto/life discount, and passive restraint.
• SAFECO offers discounts including multi-car, drive less, bundle discounts, teen safety rewards, and anti-theft.
• Farm Bureau offers discounts for renewal discount, youthful driver, multi-vehicle, safe driver, and 55 and retired.
• Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, online signing, continuous coverage, homeowner, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
• AAA policyholders can earn discounts including good student, pay-in-full, education and occupation, multi-car, AAA membership discount, and good driver.

When comparing rates, check with every insurance company to give you their best rates. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be available in your state. To find insurance companies who offer discounts, click here.

Your situation helps dictate your coverage

When buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions may help you determine if you might need professional guidance.

• What discounts do I qualify for?
• What is the rate difference between pleasure use and commuting?
• Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
• When can I cancel my policy?
• What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
• What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
• Is my trailer covered?
• Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
• What exactly is covered by my policy?
• Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.

Insurance coverage breakdown

Having a good grasp of your policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages found on most insurance policies.

Comprehensive coverage

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

Comprehensive can pay for claims like vandalism, a broken windshield and damage from flooding. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Liability coverages

This coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see liability limits of 50/100/50 which stand for a limit of $50,000 per injured person, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability can pay for claims like medical expenses, attorney fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and legal defense fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Chevy Express.

Due to the fact that many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Frequently your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Auto collision coverage

Collision insurance pays for damage to your Express resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision can pay for things such as sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with a tree, hitting a parking meter, backing into a parked car and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for immediate expenses for pain medications, funeral costs, surgery and prosthetic devices. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers you and your occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

In the end, you save

When you buy insurance online, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped collision coverage only to find out that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The goal is to buy enough coverage at the best cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

We just covered many ways to shop for 2011 Chevy Express insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote insurance, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.

For more information, link through to the resources below:

• Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
• Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)
• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
• How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)
• Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)
• Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)