Save on 2016 Chevrolet Equinox Insurance Rates

Trying to find better car insurance rates? Buyers have a choice when searching for the best price on Chevy Equinox insurance. They can either waste time calling around trying to get quotes or use the internet to compare rates.

There is a better way to compare car insurance rates so we’re going to tell you the proper way to get price quotes on a Chevy and find the best price possible from local insurance agents and online providers.

The purpose of this post is to instruct you on the best way to quote coverages. If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. Drivers only need to know the best way to shop over the internet.

The easiest way to compare insurance rates in your area is to know the trick most insurance companies provide online access to provide you with a free rate quote. All you need to do is provide information like if you require a SR-22, whether you drive to work or school, how much coverage you want, and your general credit rating. The data is then sent to multiple companies and you should receive rate quotes instantly.

You may qualify for discounts

Some insurance providers don’t list all possible discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both well-publicized and the more hidden discounts that you may qualify for.

• Discounts for Federal Employees – Active or former government employment could cut as much as 10% off for Equinox insurance with certain companies.
• Multi-line Discount – Larger insurance companies have lower prices if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
• Defensive Driver – Taking a defensive driver course can save you 5% or more and easily pay for the cost of the class.
• Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
• Responsible Drivers – Drivers without accidents may save up to 50% more for Equinox insurance as compared to drivers with claims.
• Early Renewal Discounts – A few larger companies give discounts for switching to them before your current policy expires. You may see this discount when you get car insurance quotes online.

A little disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

A list of companies and their possible discounts can be found below.

• Geico may include discounts for defensive driver, anti-theft, five-year accident-free, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, good student, and multi-vehicle.
• USAA offers discounts including safe driver, loyalty savings, family discount, multi-vehicle, vehicle storage, and good student.
• Progressive offers discounts for multi-vehicle, online signing, good student, homeowner, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
• American Family may have discounts that include TimeAway discount, good driver, good student, air bags, early bird, and bundled insurance.
• Esurance has discounts for good driver, multi-policy, anti-theft, online shopper, defensive driver, safety device, and multi-car.
• Farmers Insurance discounts include alternative fuel, pay in full, bundle discounts, switch companies, teen driver, homeowner, and mature driver.
• State Farm may offer discounts for multiple autos, safe vehicle, accident-free, driver’s education, and defensive driving training.

If you want low cost car insurance quotes, ask all companies you are considering to give you their best rates. All car insurance discounts might not apply in your area. To see a list of insurance companies that offer many of these discounts, click here.

There’s no such thing as the perfect car insurance policy

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there really is not a cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique.

Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you may require specific advice.

• What is the minimum liability in my state?
• What is covered by UM/UIM coverage?
• Where can I find DUI or SR-22 insurance?
• Do I need replacement cost coverage?
• When should I buy a commercial auto policy?
• Does my 2016 Chevy Equinox qualify for pleasure use?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Seven things that impact your insurance prices

Lots of things are taken into consideration when you get your auto insurance bill. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, although others are more obscure like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating.Part of the car insurance buying process is learning some of the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this allows you to make good choices that could help you find better car insurance rates.

• Excellent credit means lower prices – Having a bad credit history can be an important factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Consumers who have excellent credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than drivers with poor credit scores. Therefore, if your credit can use some improvement, you may save money insuring your 2016 Chevrolet Equinox by repairing your credit.
• Males pay higher costs – Statistics have proven females are less aggressive when driving. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both genders cause auto accidents in similar numbers, but the males get into accidents with more damage. Men also statistically receive more major tickets such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly.
• Choose high IIHS safety ratings and save – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. Safer cars reduce injuries and fewer serious injuries translates directly to fewer claims and lower rates for you. If the Chevy Equinox has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you may be receiving a better rate.
• Insurance rates in urban areas – Choosing to live in smaller towns and rural areas of the country can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Less people living in that area corresponds to lower accident rates and lower theft and vandalism rates. Residents of big cities regularly have more road rage incidents and a longer drive to work. Spending more time driving statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
• Safeguard your assets with liability insurance – The liability coverage on your policy is the coverage that protects you if ever a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Your policy’s liability insurance provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. It is affordable coverage compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
• Does your occupation cost you more? – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Careers like lawyers, business owners and dentists tend to have higher rates than the rest of us due to high stress levels and lengthy work days. Other jobs such as farmers, historians and homemakers pay the least for Equinox insurance.
• Deter car thieves – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Advanced theft deterrents like vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack all help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.

Don’t believe everything you hear

Consumers can’t avoid all the ads for the lowest price car insurance by companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to make an identical promise that drivers can save some big amount if you move your coverage to them.

How does each company charge less that you’re paying now? It’s all in how they say it.

Car insurance companies quote the lowest rates for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer could possibly be married and over the age of 30, carries full coverage, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. A propective insured that matches those criteria receives the best rates and will probably pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Consumers who don’t qualify for the ideal profile will get higher premiums and this can result in business not being written. If you listen to the ad wording, they say “customers who switch” not “all people who quote” save that much when switching. That’s why companies can make claims like that.

That is why it is so important to compare free car insurance quotes often. Because you never know which insurance companies will have the lowest rate quotes.

Auto insurance coverages

Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.

Coverage for liability – Liability coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.

Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 100/300/100 that translate to $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for claims like court costs, funeral expenses, medical services, attorney fees and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.

Comprehensive coverages – This will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like hail damage, a broken windshield, damage from flooding, hitting a deer and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum payout your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses like surgery, EMT expenses, funeral costs, doctor visits and X-ray expenses. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This gives you protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Due to the fact that many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Normally the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Collision – This coverage covers damage to your Equinox resulting from a collision with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things such as backing into a parked car, crashing into a ditch and hitting a parking meter. 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 choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Save your cold hard cash

People leave their current company for any number of reasons including policy cancellation, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, denial of a claim or high rates after DUI convictions. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a great new company can be easy and end up saving you some money.

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage and learned later that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

Some insurance providers may not offer online quoting small insurance companies only sell through independent agents. Cost effective 2016 Chevy Equinox insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection.

More information can be read at the links below

• Learn About Car Insurance (Geico)
• Auto Insurance for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Tools for Teen Driving Safety (State Farm)
• State Laws for Cellphones and Texting (iihs.org)