Are you sick and tired of being strong-armed each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than millions of other consumers. Companies like Allstate, Progressive and GEICO persitently shower you with advertising and it is challenging if not impossible to see through the deception and find the best price available.
You need to take a look at other company’s rates yearly since rates are usually higher with each renewal. If you had the lowest price on I-350 insurance a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. So forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re going to learn the quickest way to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Finding Car Insurance Deals
Getting a cheaper price on insurance isn’t really that difficult. Just spend a few minutes to compare quotes online with multiple companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- The easiest and least time consuming way consumers can analyze rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating separate quote forms to each individual car insurance company. Just one form will return quotes from several companies.
- A more time consuming way to compare rate quotes consists of going to the website for each individual company and request a quote. For example, let’s assume you want to compare rates from Liberty Mutual, State Farm and Farmers. You would have to go to every website and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker.
For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.
- The least recommended way of getting rate comparisons is to drive around to different agent offices. Buying insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you want the trained guidance that only a license agent can provide. You can, however, find lower rates online but still have the advice of a local agent. We’ll cover that shortly.
However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing identical information for each comparison quote. If your comparisons have unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s impossible to find the best deal for your Isuzu I-350.
Beware of misleading car insurance ads
Drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to say the same thing of big savings if you change your coverage to them.
How can each company say the same thing?
All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a preferred risk might be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has great credit. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential customers who don’t meet these standards will be quoted higher rates which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. This is how companies can make the claims of big savings. This emphasizes why drivers should compare as many rates as you can. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Do you qualify for a discount?
Companies offering auto insurance do not list every discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the best known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving. If you’re not getting every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.
- Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
- Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
- One Accident Forgiven – Certain companies permit an accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a set time period.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.
- Memberships – Participating in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for car insurance on I-350 insurance.
Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you’re out of luck.
To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts, click here to view.
What if I want to buy from a local agent?
Some consumers would rather get advice from a local agent and that is OK! Good agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain the lowest rates but also keep your business local.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your information is instantly submitted to participating agents who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no need to even leave your home as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. It doesn’t get any easier!
Picking an insurance company should depend on more than just the premium amount. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
Insurance agencies come in two flavors
When looking for a local agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents from which to choose. Agents are categorized either captive or independent. While both can write coverage properly, but it’s good to learn the differences because it can impact the selection process.
Captive Agents
This type of agents have only one company to place business with like State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Captive agents are very knowledgeable in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
Independent Agents
These agents are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles with many different companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, it’s recommended you include price quotes from at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.
To view a full list of agents, visit this page.
After getting positive responses to these questions and locked in a price quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agency that meets your needs to properly insure your vehicles.
Car insurance coverages for an Isuzu I-350
Having a good grasp of a car insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverage types found on most car insurance policies.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things like vandalism, fire damage, falling objects and hail damage. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Collision coverages – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your I-350 resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things such as scraping a guard rail, colliding with another moving vehicle, rolling your car and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Auto liability – This coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property in an accident. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see values of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage protects against claims like pain and suffering, bail bonds, court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – This protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Isuzu I-350.
Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Insurance for medical payments – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for bills such as rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits, chiropractic care, dental work and hospital visits. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
What is YOUR best insurance company?
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to reduce Isuzu I-350 insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with an unexpected company. Smaller companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
The cheapest Isuzu I-350 insurance is definitely available from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who do not provide online quoting and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.