2014 Lincoln MKZ Car Insurance Rates – 8 Ideas for Best Quotes

Locating affordable insurance online may at first seem to be problematic for vehicle owners new to price shopping over the internet. With so many agents and insurers available, how can drivers have the ability to compare every company in order to find the cheapest rates?

It’s a good habit to quote other rates occasionally because insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the lowest rates for MKZ coverage a few years ago you may be paying too much now. Ignore everything you know about insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the fastest way to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.

Cheap insurance coverage

The are a couple different ways of comparing price quotes from different companies. One of the best ways to comparison shop is simply to get online rate quotes. This is quite simple and can be completed in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

1. The fastest way to get quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This quick form saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for each company you want a rate for. A single, simple form gets you price quotes from many national carriers. This is by far the quickest method.
2. A harder way to get quotes online is going to each individual company website and request a quote. For instance, we’ll assume you want rates from Allstate, Geico and State Farm. In order to get each rate, you would have to go to every website and punch in your information repeatedly, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in your area, click here.

The method you choose is up to you, but compare the exact same coverage limits on every price quote you get. If you compare mixed coverages it will be very difficult to truly determine the lowest rate. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when price shopping your coverage, getting more free quotes will increase your chances of finding lower pricing.

These eight discounts can lower your car insurance rates

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. Certain credits will be shown at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be specifically requested in order for you to get them.

• Seat Belt Discounts – Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
• Driver Education Discount – Teen drivers should sucessfully take a drivers education course in school.
• Theft Deterent – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles can help prevent theft and can earn a small discount on your policy.
• Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more for MKZ coverage than less cautious drivers.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a small discount if you purchase some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
• E-sign – Some insurance companies provide a small discount for buying your policy on the internet.
• Student Discounts – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Most companies allow this discount up to age 25.
• College Student Discount – Kids who attend college more than 100 miles from home and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may be able to be covered for less.

As a footnote on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though the math looks like it’s possible to get free car insurance, nobody gets a free ride. But all discounts will help lower the cost of your policy.

Larger car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.

• Geico may have discounts that include defensive driver, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, five-year accident-free, good student, and driver training.
• Mercury Insurance may include discounts for age of vehicle, location of vehicle, ease of repair, good driver, and low natural disaster claims.
• Farmers Insurance offers discounts for business and professional, good student, multi-car, distant student, and youthful driver.
• Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including air bags, mature driver, teen driver, multi-policy, and anti-theft.
• Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for preferred payment discount, newly retired, new graduate, multi-policy, and exclusive group savings.
• SAFECO has discounts for accident prevention training, safe driver, teen safety rewards, anti-theft, multi-car, and bundle discounts.
• Progressive has savings for good student, homeowner, online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and continuous coverage.
• USAA may offer discounts for multi-policy, safe driver, military installation, loyalty savings, and annual mileage.

Before buying, ask all companies you are considering which discounts you qualify for. All car insurance discounts might not be offered in every state. If you would like to view companies that offer multiple discounts, click here.

Different people need different auto insurance coverages

When buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Every situation is different.

These are some specific questions might help in determining if your situation might need professional guidance.

• What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
• Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
• Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
• Am I covered if I hit my neighbor’s mailbox?
• Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
• What is the rate difference between pleasure use and commuting?
• Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?

If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Save 15 percent in 15 minutes? Is it for real?

Popular insurance providers such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. All the ads make the point about savings if you move your policy. How is it possible that every company can say the same thing? It’s all in how they say it.

Many companies have specific characteristics for the type of driver that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable insured might have to be a married female, has no tickets, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. A propective insured that meets those criteria will get a cheap rate quote and have a good chance to save money with a new company.

Potential insureds who cannot meet those criteria will be quoted higher premium rates and ends up with the customer not purchasing. Company advertisements say “people that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much when switching. This is how insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

Because of these techniques, you really need to compare quotes as often as possible. Because you never know which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Car insurance 101

Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.

Liability

This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property in an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for things such as medical expenses, emergency aid, attorney fees and bail bonds. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying higher limits if possible.

Collision insurance

Collision coverage pays for damage to your MKZ caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers claims such as driving through your garage door, rolling your car, sideswiping another vehicle and sustaining damage from a pot hole. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

UM/UIM Coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your 2014 Lincoln MKZ.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for immediate expenses like dental work, hospital visits, rehabilitation expenses, EMT expenses and chiropractic care. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like theft, a broken windshield and damage from flooding. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

More comparisons equals lower rates

People who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including not issuing a premium refund, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, denial of a claim and being labeled a high risk driver. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching car insurance companies is not as difficult as it may seem.

When searching for cheap car insurance quotes, never buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and found out when filing a claim they didn’t have enough coverage. Your objective should be to buy enough coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Some insurance providers do not offer the ability to get quotes online and these smaller providers work with independent insurance agencies. More affordable car insurance can be purchased from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates.

More information is available below:

• What is Covered by an Auto Insurance Policy? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Event Data Recorders FAQ (iihs.org)
• Auto Crash Statistics (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Child Safety FAQ (iihs.org)