Save on 2011 Nissan Armada Insurance Rates

No sane person enjoys paying for insurance, especially when they are paying too much. Companies like Geico and Progressive constantly bombard you with catchy ads and it is challenging if not impossible to not get sucked in by the cute commercials and do the work needed to find the best deal.

Verify you’re receiving every discount

Companies offering auto insurance don’t list the complete list of policy discounts very well, so the list below gives a summary of both the well known as well as the least known discounts that you can inquire about if you buy car insurance online.

• Good Grades Discount – This discount could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up until you turn 25.
• Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 are able to get reduced rates for Armada coverage.
• Government Employee Discount – Federal government employees could qualify for a slight premium decrease for Armada coverage depending on your company.
• First Accident Forgiveness – This one is not really a discount per se, but some companies like Geico and Liberty Mutual will let one accident slide before raising your premiums if you are claim-free before the accident.
• Active Military Service – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are stolen less frequently and will qualify for a discount on a car insurance quote.

As a sidenote, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

Companies and some of the discounts are outlined below.

• American Family policyholders can earn discounts including mySafetyValet, TimeAway discount, Steer into Savings, accident-free, air bags, bundled insurance, and good driver.
• Nationwide has savings for Farm Bureau membership, accident-free, defensive driving, easy pay, and family plan.
• MetLife discounts include good driver, defensive driver, accident-free, good student, and claim-free.
• 21st Century has discounts for driver training, 55 and older, defensive driver, student driver, and teen driver.
• Farmers Insurance offers discounts including teen driver, pay in full, youthful driver, good student, business and professional, distant student, and alternative fuel.
• Allstate may include discounts for auto/life discount, safe driver, farm vehicle, good payer, and EZ pay plan discount.

Double check with each company or agent which discounts they offer. Savings might not be offered in every state. To locate insurers who offer discounts, click this link.

You can change your insurance premiums

Lots of factors are used when you quote your car insurance policy. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, but other criteria are more transparent like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.It’s important that you understand the rating factors that aid in calculating the price you pay for insurance coverage. When you understand what determines base rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can earn you big savings.

• Improve your credit score – Your credit score is a big factor in calculating your premium rate. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with worse credit. So if your credit is low, you could pay less to insure your 2011 Nissan Armada by spending a little time repairing your credit.
• Don’t skimp on liability protection – The liability section of your policy kicks in if you are found liable for causing personal injury or damage in an accident. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to comp and collision, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.
• Higher deductibles are cheaper – Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your Nissan. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, vandalism, and burglary. The deductibles state the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the less money you will pay for insurance coverage for Armada coverage.
• Cut prices and deter theft – Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can save you a little every year. Advanced theft deterrents such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder car theft and help bring rates down.
• Gender impacts costs – Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, don’t assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. Females and males are responsible for at-fault accidents in similar percentages, but males have accidents that have higher claims. Not only are claims higher, but men receive more costly citations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Males from age 16 to 21 cause the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
• Extra coverages you don’t use – Insurance companies have many extra bells and whistles you can purchase when buying insurance coverage. Things like replacement cost coverage, high-cost glass coverage, and additional equipment coverage may not be needed and are just wasting money. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if you don’t need them remove them and pocket the money.
• Getting married can lower rates – Being married may earn you lower rates when buying insurance coverage. Having a spouse translates into being more stable financially and insurance companies like that drivers who are married are more cautious.
• Reduce insurance coverage rates by driving safer vehicles – Safer cars cost less to insure. These vehicles reduce injuries and reduced instances of injuries means less claims paid passed on to you as lower rates. If the Nissan Armada is rated at a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov it is probably cheaper to insure.

When should I discuss my situation with an agent?

When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Everyone’s needs are different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover if you will benefit from professional help.

• I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
• Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
• Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
• I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
• Are my friends covered when driving my 2011 Nissan Armada?
• Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
• When can my company non-renew my policy?
• Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.

Buyer beware of car insurance advertising tricks

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads that claim the cheapest auto insurance rates by companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all try to convey promises that people will save just by switching your car insurance coverage to their company.

But how can every company sell you cheaper insurance coverage? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of insured that will add to their bottom line. A good example of a preferred risk may be a married female, carries high limits, and drives a safe vehicle. Any driver that matches those criteria will probably get cheap prices and most likely will save a lot if they switch.

Potential customers who don’t measure up to those standards must pay more expensive rates which leads to the customer buying from someone else. The ad wording is “people that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much money. This is how companies can truthfully make those claims.

This really drives home the point why it’s extremely important to get car insurance quotes as often as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Car insurance 101

Having a good grasp of insurance helps when choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverages found on most insurance policies.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Normally these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical payments coverage and PIP – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses such as hospital visits, surgery, rehabilitation expenses, dental work and prosthetic devices. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Liability car insurance – Liability coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property by causing an accident. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability can pay for things such as emergency aid, court costs, pain and suffering and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.

Collision – This coverage covers damage to your Armada from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as crashing into a building, driving through your garage door and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Comprehensive coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as hail damage, rock chips in glass, falling objects and fire damage. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Feed the piggy bank

We just covered many ideas to shop for 2011 Nissan Armada insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding cheaper car insurance. Consumers could even find that the lowest auto insurance rates come from an unexpected company. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

Cost effective 2011 Nissan Armada insurance is attainable both online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who may not have online rate quotes and many times these regional carriers provide coverage only through independent insurance agents.

Additional information

• Older Drivers FAQ (iihs.org)
• Teen Driver Licensing Information (iihs.org)
• Uninsured Motorists: Threats on the Road (Insurance Information Insitute)
• How do I File a Claim? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Auto Insurance Basics (Insurance Information Insitute)