No one in their right mind looks forward to buying car insurance, particularly when their premiums are through the roof. Companies like GEICO and Progressive persitently shower you with advertising and it is difficult to ignore the flashy ads and find the best price available.
Free Car Insurance Quotes
All the larger car insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and GEICO allow you to get prices online. Getting quotes is quite easy as you simply enter the coverages you want as requested by the quote form. After the form is submitted, the company’s rating system will order reports for credit and driving violations and returns pricing information. Quoting online makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it is imperative to get many rate quotes in order to get better prices.
The smarter way to locate the lowest prices utilizes a single form that gets prices from more than one company. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online price comparison much more enjoyable. Immediately after you send the form, it is quoted and you are able to buy your choice of the resulting price quotes.
If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. This process takes 15 minutes at the most and you will know how your current rates stack up.
If you want to compare rates using this form now, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. To compare your current rates, we recommend you enter the limits and deductibles as close as possible to your current policy. This guarantees you will get a rate comparison based on similar coverages.
These nine discounts can slash car insurance rates
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but less common discounts must be specially asked for before you get the savings. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
- Seat Belt Usage – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Anti-theft Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Resident Student – Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Drive Less and Save – Fewer annual miles on your Buick can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
- Defensive Driver – Completing a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Multiple Vehicles – Having multiple vehicles with the same company qualifies for this discount.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less for Estate Wagon insurance than less cautious drivers.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts, click here to view.
Do I need a local agent?
Some consumers prefer to talk to a local agent and that is OK! Professional agents can point out coverage gaps and help submit paperwork. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is that you can obtain better rates but still work with a licensed agent. And providing support for small agencies is especially important if you live in a smaller city or town.
To find an agent, once you fill out this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents who will give you bids to get your business. There is no need to leave your house as quotes are delivered directly to your email. How’s that for easy!
Is a captive or independent insurance agency right for you?
When finding an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents from which to choose. Agents are categorized either captive or independent. Both insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning how they are different since it may influence your selection of an agent.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agencies do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles with many different companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When comparison shopping, we recommend you include multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents can only place business with one company and some examples include Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. These agents receive extensive training on their company’s products which can be an advantage.
To view a full list of insurance agencies, click here.
Picking an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
Once you have positive feedback for all questions you ask and a good coverage price, you’ve probably found an insurance agency that can insure your vehicles.
Parts of your car insurance policy
Understanding the coverages of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find the normal coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as damage from getting keyed, hail damage and damage from flooding. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Liability
This provides protection from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property in an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability 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. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage pays for claims like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, pain and suffering, attorney fees and funeral expenses. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for bills for things like surgery, hospital visits, ambulance fees and chiropractic care. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
This coverage provides protection when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Buick Estate Wagon.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family. Normally these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Auto collision coverage
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims like sideswiping another vehicle, damaging your car on a curb, rolling your car, scraping a guard rail and hitting a mailbox. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
In the end, you save
Budget-conscious Buick Estate Wagon insurance is possible from both online companies in addition to many insurance agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. Some car insurance companies do not provide online quoting and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
You just learned a lot of tips how to lower your Buick Estate Wagon insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with a smaller regional carrier. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.
