No sane person looks forward to paying for car insurance, especially when they are aware that the cost is way too high. Numerous car insurance companies battle for your business, so it’s not easy to compare every company and get the best coverage at the lowest rate possible.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Finding affordable coverage is easy if you know what you’re doing. But consumers can benefit from knowing how insurance companies sell online and apply this information to your search.
When shopping for , there are a couple of ways to compare quotes from lots of car insurance companies. The easiest way by far to find cheaper Ford Explorer Sport rates is to get quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in a couple minutes as outlined below.
- One of the simplest ways to get quotes is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This method keeps you from doing a different quote to each individual car insurance company. Just one form gets prices estimates from several companies.
- A less efficient way to analyze rates consists of visiting the website of each company and repeat the quote process again and again. For sake of this example, let’s say you want rates from Farmers, GEICO and GMAC. You would have to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, which can take a lot of time. To view a list of companies in your area, click here.
However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing nearly identical coverage data for each comparison quote. If the quotes have differing limits it will be very difficult to get a fair rate comparison. Quoting even small variations in limits can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when comparison shopping, comparing all the rates in your area helps improve the odds of finding the best rates. Some smaller insurers to not give online price quotes, so you need to compare prices on coverage from those companies, too.
Earn discounts on car insurance
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the below list has both the well known in addition to some of the lesser obvious car insurance savings.
- Low Miles Discount – Low annual miles could earn slightly better premium rates than normal.
- Early Switch Discount – A few insurance companies allow discounts for renewing your policy prior to the expiration date on your current policy. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- New Car Discount – Insuring a vehicle that is new can save you some money because new vehicles keep occupants safer.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Safe drivers can save as much as half off their rates on Explorer Sport insurance than drivers with accident claims.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying a policy with several vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
Don’t be shocked that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though it sounds like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A list of car insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are:
- State Farm offers discounts including accident-free, multiple policy, passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple autos, and good student.
- Liberty Mutual discounts include new move discount, new graduate, multi-car, preferred payment discount, and newly married.
- American Family has discounts for Steer into Savings, early bird, bundled insurance, mySafetyValet, air bags, and good driver.
- Progressive includes discounts for good student, homeowner, online signing, multi-policy, and online quote discount.
- Farmers Insurance may include discounts for mature driver, early shopping, multi-car, pay in full, and homeowner.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has savings for company car, paperless, multiple vehicles, safe driver, mature driver, teen driver, and air bags.
- SAFECO offers discounts for teen safe driver, anti-lock brakes, accident prevention training, anti-theft, and teen safety rewards.
Before purchasing a policy, check with each company or agent which discounts they offer. Savings may not be available in your area. For a list of insurers who offer car insurance discounts, follow this link.
Tailor your car insurance coverage to you
When it comes to choosing the best car insurance coverage, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out whether or not you might need professional guidance.
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
- Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
- When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
