Finding affordable Spokane car insurance is always a challenge for beginners to comparing rates online. You have so many choices that it can turn into a big hassle to find the best price in Spokane.
You should take the time to compare prices quite often due to the fact that insurance rates change regularly. Even if you think you had the best rates on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the things you must know in order to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Cut your car insurance rates with these eight discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there are discounts available that can drop the cost substantially. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.
- New Car Discount – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Own a Home – Owning a home in Spokane may earn you a small savings because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
- Student Driver Training – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
- Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Federal Government Employee – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will cut the cost of coverage.
You are unique and your car insurance should be too
When buying the best car insurance coverage, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if you could use an agent’s help.
- What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in Washington?
- What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- What are the financial responsibility laws in Washington?
- When should I not file a claim?
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form.
Find out more about car insurance
More information is available on the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, view a list of available companies, find disaster information, and learn about specific coverages.
Also read more on NAIC.org’s Understanding your Policy and see this list of insurance agents in Spokane.
Auto insurance coverages
Knowing the specifics of car insurance can help you determine which coverages you need for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.
Since many Washington drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Comprehensive auto coverage
Comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like theft, damage from flooding and a broken windshield. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Liability car insurance
Liability coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 which means a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is a combined limit which limits claims to one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for things such as medical expenses, bail bonds, structural damage and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Washington requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.
Medical payments and PIP coverage
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for immediate expenses like ambulance fees, nursing services and hospital visits. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Collision coverage
This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as damaging your car on a curb, crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and hitting a parking meter. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
In the end, you save
We’ve covered a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest rates come from an unexpected company.
Drivers who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including denial of a claim, being labeled a high risk driver, extreme rates for teen drivers or even delays in paying claims. Regardless of your reason, finding the right car insurance provider is easier than you think.
Affordable car insurance is possible online and with local Spokane insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. There are still a few companies who do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.