2014 Kia Sportage Insurance Rates

Have you finally had enough of trying to scrape together enough money each month for auto insurance? You are in the same boat as most other people.

Numerous car insurance companies battle for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurance company and get the definite lowest rate possible.

Consumers should take time to get comparison quotes on a regular basis since prices are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the lowest price on Sportage insurance a year ago there may be better deals available now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the best methods to save on auto insurance.

These discounts can lower your car insurance quotes

Car insurance can cost a lot, but discounts can save money and there are some available to cut the cost considerably. Many discounts should be triggered at the time of purchase, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied prior to getting the savings.

• Defensive Driver Discounts – Successfully completing a driver safety course is a good idea and can lower rates and easily pay for the cost of the class.
• Safety Restraint Discount – Forcing all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates on Sportage insurance compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
• Driver’s Ed – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers participate in a local driver’s education class as it can save substantially.
• Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Buying coverage for several vehicles on a single policy can get a discount for every vehicle.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Even though the math looks like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

A few popular companies and their possible discounts are detailed below.

• Geico has discounts for daytime running lights, good student, driver training, military active duty, multi-vehicle, emergency military deployment, and defensive driver.
• SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including homeowner, teen safe driver, multi-car, bundle discounts, safe driver, anti-theft, and anti-lock brakes.
• State Farm offers discounts including safe vehicle, multiple autos, good driver, passive restraint, and student away at school.
• MetLife discounts include accident-free, good driver, claim-free, good student, defensive driver, and multi-policy.
• 21st Century may include discounts for good student, teen driver, early bird, defensive driver, and student driver.
• Progressive may offer discounts for online signing, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle.

Before you buy a policy, ask every company which credits you are entitled to. Depending on the company, some discounts may not apply to policies in your area. If you would like to see a list of insurance companies that offer multiple discounts, follow this link.

Five things that determine your insurance premiums

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the things that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower premium levels. Many factors are used in the calculation when you get your auto insurance bill. A few of the factors are predictable like an MVR report, although others are not as apparent like where you live or your vehicle rating.

The itemized list below are some of the most rate-impacting factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set your prices.

• Prevent your car from being stolen – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can save you a little every year. Theft deterrent systems like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms all help stop auto theft.
• Low comp and collision deductibles cost more – Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your Kia from damage. Some examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, vandalism, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles you choose are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The higher the amount the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance on Sportage insurance.
• High credit scores equal low costs – Having a good credit history will be a significant factor in determining premium rates. So if your credit can be improved, you may save money insuring your 2014 Kia Sportage if you improve your credit rating. Insureds with high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower ratings.
• Cheaper premiums for prior coverage – Going without insurance can be a fast way to increase your car insurance rates. In addition to paying higher premiums, not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time. You may need to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with your state DMV.
• Miles driven impacts rates – Driving a lot of miles annually the more you will pay for car insurance. A lot of companies calculate prices determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars and trucks that sit idle most of the time qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Having the wrong rating on your Sportage can cost quite a bit. Ask your agent if your declarations sheet is showing the correct usage for each vehicle.

Different people need different auto insurance coverages

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Every situation is different so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.

• Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
• Should I buy full coverage?
• How high should my medical payments coverage be?
• Do I need higher collision deductibles?
• Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver?
• How much liability do I need to cover my assets?

If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to 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.

Auto insurance buyers beware

Respected companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico continually stream television and radio advertisements. All the ads convey the message about saving some big amount if you just switch to them. How does every auto insurance company give you a lower rate? Just pay attention to how they say it.

Many companies quote their cheapest rates for the driver they prefer to insure. One example of a desirable risk could possibly be over the age of 35, insures multiple vehicles, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. Any person who fits that profile will get low rates as well as cut their rates substantially.

People who don’t meet this ideal profile will get a higher rate which translates to business going elsewhere. The ads say “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. This is how companies can make it sound like they have such great prices.

Different companies use different criteria so it is so important to do a price quote comparison at every renewal. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will give you lower premium rates than your current company.

Parts of your insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of insurance can be of help when determining the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages offered by insurance companies.

Auto liability

This can cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/25 which means $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage protects against things like structural damage, repair costs for stationary objects and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

Coverage for medical payments

Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses such as pain medications, X-ray expenses, EMT expenses and doctor visits. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive coverages

This pays to fix your vehicle from 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 insurance covers things like damage from getting keyed, theft, rock chips in glass, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The highest amount a insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Most of the time these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Collision coverage

Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as driving through your garage door, backing into a parked car, sideswiping another vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

At the end of the day…

More affordable auto insurance is available on the web in addition to many insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional carriers only sell through independent insurance agents.

You just learned some good ideas how to compare 2014 Kia Sportage insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the smaller companies. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Geico and State Farm.

When buying insurance coverage, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate and still be able to protect your assets.

Helpful resources

• Cellphones, Texting and Driving (iihs.org)
• Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
• Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)
• What does Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Cover? (Allstate)
• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)