Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced car insurance? You’re preaching to the choir because there are lots of Jasper residents who feel the same. Having so many options when it comes to car insurance, it’s nearly impossible to pick the most cost effective car insurance company.
It’s important to compare prices before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the best rate a couple years back you can probably find a better premium rate now. You’ll find a ton of advice on car insurance on the web, but in just a couple of minutes you can learn a lot of great tips on how to buy car insurance cheaper.
Choosing the best insurance company for you in Jasper is not that difficult. If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can follow these tips to reduce the price you pay and still get good coverage. Indiana drivers just need to understand the most effective way to shop online.
All the larger car insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico allow you to get coverage price quotes from their websites. Comparing prices online is pretty painless as you simply enter your coverage information as detailed in the form. When the form is submitted, the company’s rating system obtains credit information and your driving record and generates a price based on the data you entered. Quoting online makes it easy to compare insurance prices but the time it takes to visit different websites and type in the same information can be a bit repetitive. But it’s necessary to have as many quotes as possible if you are searching for the lowest possible prices on car insurance.
There is an easier way to compare rates
The preferred way to locate the lowest prices uses just one form that analyzes rates from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes quoting online much easier to do. After your information is entered, it is rated and you can choose any or none of the price quotes you receive. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and may result in a nice savings.
To find out if lower rates are available, simply click here to open in new window and fill out the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter the coverage information exactly as shown on your declarations page. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will have a fair comparison using the same coverage and limits.
Lower rates by qualifying for these five discounts
Car insurance is not inexpensive, but you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few must be asked for before you will receive the discount.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a small discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
- Distant Student – who live away from home to go to college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
- Discount for Good Grades – A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
- Jasper Homeowners Pay Less – Just owning your own home can earn you a little savings since owning and maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
- Active Military Service – Being deployed in the military could be rewarded with lower car insurance rates.
One last thing about discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Even though the math looks like adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride. Any qualifying discounts should definitely cut your premiums.
To choose companies that offer some of these discounts in Indiana, click here to view.
Car insurance policy specifics
Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the usual coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Collision coverage
Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against things like colliding with another moving vehicle, driving through your garage door and damaging your car on a curb. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Coverage for medical payments
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for short-term medical expenses like doctor visits, funeral costs, nursing services, prosthetic devices and hospital visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Liability
Liability coverage can cover damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers things like court costs, emergency aid, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees and medical services. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. Indiana requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/10,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
Comprehensive coverages
Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as rock chips in glass, damage from getting keyed, damage from a tornado or hurricane, vandalism and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage
This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Indiana limits are 25/50/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
More Indiana car insurance information
Even more information is located at the Indiana Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, find out industry alerts, and learn about specific coverages.