Locating cheaper Lebanon auto insurance may be impossible for drivers who are beginners to quoting and buying insurance on the internet. With so many options of companies competing online, how can Lebanon drivers possibly compare the different rates to find the cheapest rates?
You should make it a habit to compare rates as often as possible because prices are usually higher with each renewal. Even if you got the best deal a few years ago you can probably find a better rate quote now. There is a lot of bad advice regarding auto insurance on the internet, but in a few minutes you can learn a bunch of ideas how to lower your auto insurance premiums.
Do you qualify for these nine discounts?
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you might find some hidden discounts to help offset the cost. Some of these disounts will be visible when you get a quote, but a few need to be asked about prior to receiving the credit. If you are not receiving all the discounts available, you could be getting lower rates.
- Seat Belts Save – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Multiple Cars – Buying a policy with primary and secondary vehicles on the same auto insurance policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
- Theft Deterent System – Cars equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Life Insurance Discount – Insurance companies who offer life insurance give a small discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
- College Student – who live away from home to go to college and do not have a car could get you a discount.
- Government Employee Discount – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
- New Car Discount – Buying auto insurance coverage on a new vehicle may earn a small discount since newer models are generally safer.
- Paperless Signup – Many auto insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
Discounts lower rates, but most credits do not apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy. Any qualifying discounts should definitely cut your policy cost.
To see providers that provide some of the discounts listed above in Oregon, click this link.
There are a lot of ways you can shop for auto insurance but one way is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could waste a few hours talking to agents in Lebanon, or you can stay home and use online quoting to get pricing more quickly.
All the larger companies take part in a program that enables customers to send in one quote, and each participating company then gives them pricing for coverage. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each company.
To compare pricing click here to open in new window.
The only drawback to comparing rates this way is you are unable to specify the companies to receive prices from. If you wish to select specific providers for rate comparison, we have a listing of companies who write auto insurance in Oregon. View list of Oregon insurance companies.
Whichever way you choose to compare rates, make darn sure you compare equivalent deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you enter different deductibles it’s not possible to determine the lowest rate in Lebanon. Slightly different limits could mean much higher rates. It’s important to know that getting more free quotes increases the change that you will find a lower rate than you’re paying now. Some regional insurers cannot provide prices over the internet, so you also need to get price estimates from the smaller companies as well.
The coverage is in the details
Having a good grasp of auto insurance aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement.
Medical payments coverage and PIP – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for bills for things like dental work, nursing services and ambulance fees. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover both the driver and occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive coverage – This coverage covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as vandalism, fire damage, theft and damage from flooding. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – This protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/20 in Oregon), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers claims such as damaging your car on a curb, hitting a parking meter, crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Coverage for liability – Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as bail bonds, repair costs for stationary objects, court costs and emergency aid. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Oregon state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/20,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Don’t give up on cheaper premiums
We’ve covered many ways to lower your auto insurance premium rates. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of getting . You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with the least-expected company.
When getting , it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.
Budget-friendly auto insurance is definitely available both online and also from your neighborhood Lebanon agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. A few companies may not provide rates over the internet and many times these regional carriers provide coverage only through independent agencies.