Lower Your 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Insurance Rates

Are you burned out from trying to scrape together enough money to pay high insurance coverage rates every month? You have the same problem as many other drivers. Vehicle owners have so many insurance companies to pick from, and even though it’s nice to have a selection, more options can take longer to find the lowest cost provider.

How to buy insurance online

Shopping for lower insurance rates is a ton of work if you don’t know the best way to get rate quotes. You can waste hours discussing policy coverages with agents in your area, or you could use online quotes to quickly compare rates.

Many companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to complete one form, and each company provides a quote based on that information. This eliminates the need for quotation requests to every company. To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now click to open in new window.

The single downside to pricing coverage this way is you can’t choose which insurance companies you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to request quotes from, we have a page of the cheapest insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

Compare rates however you want, just try to keep the exact same coverages and limits for every company. If you compare different coverage information it’s not possible to determine which company has the best rates.

Smart choices result in lower insurance premiums

Lots of things are considered when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic like a motor vehicle report, but some are not as apparent like your continuous coverage or how safe your car is.It’s important that you understand the factors that play a part in calculating insurance rates. If you have a feel for what determines premiums, this enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower rates.

• Males tend to take more risk – The statistics show females are less aggressive when driving. It does not mean males are worse at driving than females. Both genders cause auto accidents at a similar rate, but the men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. They also get cited for more serious violations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Males from age 16 to 21 tend to get in the most accidents so they pay the highest premiums.
• Consider raising coverage deductibles – Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, insures against damage to your car. Examples of some claims that would be covered would be a windshield broken by a bird, damage caused by hail, and damage caused by road hazards. The more of the claim you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive on SLK-Class insurance.
• Multi-policy discounts can save money – Lots of insurance companies allow lower prices to buyers that have more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to get quotes from other companies to help guarantee you have the best rates.
• Allowing your insurance to lapse raises premiums – Letting your insurance expire can be a guaranteed way to trigger a rate increase. In addition to paying higher premiums, not being able to provide proof of insurance could earn you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
• Urban areas may pay more – Living in areas with lower population has it’s advantages if you are looking for the lowest rates. Drivers in populated areas tend to have more traffic problems and much longer commute distances. Fewer drivers on the road means less chance of accidents in addition to lower liability claims
• Prevent your car from being stolen – Owning a car with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack all help stop vehicle theft.
• Responsible credit equals lower costs – Having a bad credit rating is likely to be a major factor in calculating your insurance rates. Insureds with good credit tend to file fewer claims than those with poor credit scores. If your credit rating is low, you could save money insuring your 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class if you improve your credit rating.

Lower rates by qualifying for discounts

Car insurance companies do not list the complete list of policy discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the next list breaks down a few of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts you could be receiving when you buy auto insurance online.

• Smart Student Discounts – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. Most companies allow this discount up to age 25.
• Paperwork-free – Some of the larger companies will give you a small discount for buying your policy on their website.
• Early Renewal Discounts – A few companies allow discounts for switching to them early. You could save around 10% when you buy auto insurance online.
• Responsible Drivers – Drivers without accidents could pay up to 40% less on SLK-Class insurance than drivers with accident claims.
• Government Employee Discount – Active or retired federal employment could qualify for a slight premium decrease on SLK-Class insurance with some insurance coverage companies.
• No Charge for an Accident – Not necessarily a discount, but a handful of insurance companies allow you one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you have no claims prior to the accident.
• Multiple Vehicles – Buying a policy with primary and secondary vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.

Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, insurance coverage companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will cut your premiums.

The best insurance coverage companies and their possible discounts are shown below.

• Farm Bureau offers discounts for multi-vehicle, 55 and retired, multi-policy, driver training, youthful driver, and renewal discount.
• State Farm offers premium reductions for passive restraint, multiple policy, safe vehicle, defensive driving training, multiple autos, student away at school, and good driver.
• Progressive offers discounts including good student, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online signing, homeowner, and online quote discount.
• Allstate may include discounts for good student, passive restraint, resident student, new car, and good payer.
• Nationwide policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, multi-policy, defensive driving, easy pay, good student, business or organization, and accident-free.
• MetLife may offer discounts for multi-policy, claim-free, good driver, accident-free, defensive driver, good student

When getting a coverage quote, ask each company to give you their best rates. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be offered on policies everywhere.

Insurance is unique, just like you

When choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs may require specific advice.

• Do I need replacement cost coverage?
• Where can I get insurance after a DUI in my state?
• Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
• Can my babysitter drive my car?
• What happens if I owe more than my 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is worth?
• Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
• Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
• Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
• What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
• Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?

If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Car insurance specifics

Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the normal coverages found on most car insurance policies.

Auto liability – Liability insurance will cover damage that occurs to a person or their property by causing an accident. This coverage 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. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 which means a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability insurance covers things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects and court costs. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as much as you can afford.

Comprehensive coverages – This covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hail damage, rock chips in glass and hitting a bird. The maximum payout your car insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for expenses such as pain medications, EMT expenses, X-ray expenses, rehabilitation expenses and doctor visits. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Collision – This coverage covers damage to your SLK-Class resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers claims like scraping a guard rail, damaging your car on a curb and rolling your car. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.

Saving money is sweet as honey

When shopping online for insurance coverage, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured cut physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

Lower-priced insurance coverage can be found from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. A few companies don’t offer internet price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through independent agencies.

To read more, feel free to visit the resources below:

• Protect Yourself Against Auto Theft (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Rental Car Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Five Tips to Save on Auto Insurance (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Tread Depth and Tire Safety (State Farm)