2011 Ford Taurus Insurance Rates – 5 Policy Discounts

Looking for cheaper insurance coverage rates for your Ford Taurus? Nobody I know looks forward to buying insurance coverage, in particular when they are paying too much.

Multiple car insurance companies compete for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare car insurance companies and get the best coverage at the best rates possible.

It’s important to get comparison quotes once or twice a year since insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you got the lowest premium rates for Taurus insurance a couple years back other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about insurance coverage because you’re going to get a crash course in how to use online quotes to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Compare free car insurance quotes

To get affordable insurance quotes, there a variety of ways of comparing price quotes from local car insurance companies. The best method to find competitive 2011 Ford Taurus insurance rates is simply to get online rate quotes. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.

1. The fastest and easiest way consumers can make multiple comparisons is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for every car insurance company. One form will return quotes instantly.
2. A harder way to find better pricing is to take the time to go to the website for each individual company to complete their respective quote request forms. For examples sake, let’s assume you want comparison quotes from Farmers, Geico and American Family. To do that, you would have to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

   For a handy list of car insurance company links in your area, click here.

3. Even if you have time, the least recommended way to comparison shop rate quotes is driving around to different agent offices. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a need for the advice and guidance of a local agent. Although you can get prices online and have a local agent actually service the policy.

Whichever method you choose, be certain you are entering nearly identical coverages for each quote you get. If each company quotes different values for each quote it will be impossible to truly determine the lowest rate. Just a small difference in insurance coverages could mean much higher rates. It’s important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes provides better odds of finding a better price.

Save money by taking advantage of these five discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise all their discounts very clearly, so we break down both well-publicized and also the more inconspicuous discounts that you may qualify for. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Drive Less and Save – Low annual miles may allow you to get lower prices on the low mileage vehicles.
• Distant College Student Discount – who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and do not take a car to college can be insured at a reduced rate.
• Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
• Life Insurance Discount – Some insurance coverage companies give a break if you buy a life policy as well.
• Professional Organizations – Being in certain professional organizations may earn a discount on your next insurance coverage statement.

As a footnote on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

Popular insurance coverage companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.

• Geico may offer discounts for defensive driver, membership and employees, anti-theft, driver training, multi-policy, and five-year accident-free.
• Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including paperless, multi-policy, teen driver, multiple vehicles, and company car.
• American Family has savings for Steer into Savings, mySafetyValet, air bags, accident-free, defensive driver, and bundled insurance.
• Esurance policyholders can earn discounts including renters, good driver, multi-policy, online shopper, paid-in-full, and anti-lock brakes.
• Progressive offers discounts for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, continuous coverage, and online signing.
• State Farm offers premium reductions for good student, good driver, driver’s education, student away at school, and multiple policy.
• AAA has discounts for good student, education and occupation, good driver, pay-in-full, multi-car, multi-policy, and AAA membership discount.

Check with every insurance company which discounts they offer. Depending on the company, some discounts might not apply in your state. To see companies with discount insurance coverage rates, click this link.

How much auto insurance do I need?

When buying the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no one size fits all plan. Every insured’s situation is different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions can help discover if you might need professional guidance.

• Do I need an umbrella policy?
• At what point should I drop full coverage?
• Do I need replacement cost coverage on my 2011 Ford Taurus?
• Is a fancy paint job covered?
• Am I covered if I hit a deer?
• Is my ex-spouse still covered by my policy?
• Should I get collision insurance on every vehicle?
• Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
• Should I waive the damage coverage when renting a car?
• How do I insure my teen driver?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.

Car insurance policy specifics

Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are typical coverages offered by car insurance companies.

Comprehensive coverage – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as hitting a bird, vandalism, damage from flooding and hail damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Medical payments coverage and PIP – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for expenses such as doctor visits, surgery, X-ray expenses and nursing services. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Auto liability – Liability coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t 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 limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage pays for claims like attorney fees, medical services, medical expenses and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but consider buying as large an amount as possible.

Collision – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Taurus resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for claims such as hitting a mailbox, rolling your car, crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Ford Taurus.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

More quotes. Lower rates.

As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where someone dropped collision coverage only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The goal is to buy enough coverage at the best cost, but do not skimp to save money.

In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to save on 2011 Ford Taurus insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of getting cheaper insurance. Drivers may discover the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. They may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.

More detailed insurance coverage information is located in these articles:

• Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver (State Farm)
• Winter Driving (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Where can I buy Insurance? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)