Locating low-cost insurance for your Chevy Lumina APV can normally be difficult, but you can learn the following methods to make it easier.
There are more efficient ways to shop for auto insurance so you’re going to learn the best way to compare rates on a Chevy and find the cheapest rates from both online companies and local agents.
If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Buying more affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. Although vehicle owners can benefit from knowing how the larger insurance companies market insurance on the web and use this information to your advantage.
Take advantage of discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but some must be inquired about before they will apply.
- New Car Discount – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Organization Discounts – Participating in a professional or civic organization may earn a discount on your policy on Lumina APV coverage.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Select companies give a discount for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
- Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application digitally online.
- Accident Forgiveness – A few companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
- Own a Home – Owning a house can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Chevy can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you could save 5% or more.
Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But all discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.
Fast and Easy Auto Insurance Quotes
The are a couple different ways to get quotes and find the best price. The easiest way by far to find the cheapest Chevy Lumina APV insurance rates involves getting comparison quotes online. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- The easiest and least time consuming way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. A single form will return quotes from all major companies. This is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time.
- A slightly less efficient method to find lower rates is to manually visit each company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, we’ll assume you want rates from USAA, Safeco and Liberty Mutual. To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in your area, click here.
- The least recommended way of getting rate comparisons is to spend your day driving to local insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the professional guidance of a licensed agent. You can, however, obtain prices from the web but still have the advice of a local agent and we’ll talk about that later.
Which method you use is up to you, but ensure you’re using exactly the same coverage limits on every quote you get. If each company quotes different liability limits it will be impossible to decipher which rate is best. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may result in large price differences. And when comparison shopping, quoting more gives you a better chance of getting lower pricing.
What is the best insurance coverage?
When buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
For example, these questions may help highlight whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.
- When should I drop full coverage on my Chevy Lumina APV?
- What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- Who is covered when they drive my Chevy Lumina APV?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.
What about using a local agent?
A small number of people just want to buy from a local agent and that is OK! One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain better rates and still choose a local agent. Buying from local businesses is definitely important in smaller rural communities.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your insurance coverage information is sent to local insurance agents who will battle to get your business. There is no reason to leave your computer as quotes are delivered directly to your email. It’s the lowest rates and a licensed agent to work with.
Choose an insurance agent wisely
When looking for a local agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents from which to choose. Agencies are categorized either captive or independent.
Independent Agents
Independent agencies do not work for one specific company but rather can write business with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency. When comparison shopping, you should always get quotes from multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from. Many write coverage with smaller companies who may have lower rates.
Captive Agents
Captive agencies can only write with one company such as State Farm, Allstate and AAA. Captives cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. They receive extensive training in insurance sales which can be an advantage. Consumers sometimes buy insurance from these agents primarily because of the brand legacy and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
For a complete listing of agencies, visit this page.
Selecting an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. Some important questions to ask are:
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
Upon getting good answers to these questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that can properly insure your vehicles. Keep in mind you can always cancel your coverage whenever you wish so never feel that you are obligated to the auto insurance policy for any length of time.
Auto insurance 101
Learning about specific coverages of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Comprehensive insurance
This coverage covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like damage from flooding, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Coverage for collisions
This will pay to fix damage to your Lumina APV resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers claims such as sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a ditch, rolling your car, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a building. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for bills such as surgery, funeral costs and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers both the driver and occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
This gives you protection from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Chevy Lumina APV.
Since many drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Frequently these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Liability car insurance
Liability insurance will cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for things like bail bonds, medical services, loss of income and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal
We just covered a lot of techniques to lower your Chevy Lumina APV insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies.
When you buy insurance online, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate.
People leave their current company for many reasons like policy non-renewal, policy cancellation, high prices and being labeled a high risk driver. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is actually quite simple.
