Having to pay for overpriced Dodge Mini Ram Van insurance can drain your savings account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Comparing price quotes is a smart way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. You have multiple insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s nice to have multiple companies, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.
Finding the best rates is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can follow these tips to find the best rates and possibly find even better coverage. Vehicle owners just need to understand the tricks to get comparison rates on the web.
What determines your Dodge Mini Ram Van insurance premium
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.
- Men pay higher rates – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. They both are in accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
- Being married is a good thing – Being married can actually save you money when buying auto insurance. It translates into being more mature and it’s proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- Rate your vehicle for proper use – The higher the mileage driven every year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies rate vehicles based on their usage. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. If your policy improperly rates your Mini Ram Van may be wasting your money. Verify your auto insurance declarations sheet is showing the correct usage for each vehicle.
- Credit scores impact auto insurance rates – A driver’s credit history is a big factor in your rate calculation. If your credit history is not that good, you could pay less to insure your Dodge Mini Ram Van by improving your credit score. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.
How to Compare Auto Insurance Costs
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can be a lot of work if you aren’t aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a few hours (or days) discussing policy coverages with agents in your area, or you can utilize online quoting to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
Most of the larger companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers send in one quote, and at least one company then returns a price quote based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions to each company.
To compare rates using this form now click here (opens in new window).
The only drawback to comparing rates this way is that you can’t choose which providers you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose specific insurance companies to compare, we put together a list of low cost auto insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.
However you get your quotes, make darn sure you compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote. If the quotes have differing limits it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison.
Is there truth in advertising?
Drivers can’t get away from ads for car insurance savings by companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. All the companies make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you change to them.
How do they all say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as between 25 and 40, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
Drivers who don’t measure up to these standards will be charged a more expensive rate which leads to the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s the way companies can make the claims of big savings. That is why it’s extremely important to compare as many rates as you can. It’s just too difficult to predict which company will fit your personal profile best.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Companies don’t always advertise all their discounts very clearly, so we researched some of the best known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
- Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay much less when compared to accident-prone drivers.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers may be able to get a small decrease in premiums for Mini Ram van insurance.
- Drive Less and Save – Keeping the miles down on your Dodge can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Homeowners Discount – Owning a house may trigger a auto insurance policy discount due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Use Seat Belts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Defensive Driving Course – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more if you qualify.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To choose providers with discount auto insurance rates, click here to view.
What about using a local agent?
Some people would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is a personal choice. Educated insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and help in the event of a claim. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you may find better rates but also keep your business local.
After filling out this short form, your insurance data is submitted to insurance agents who will return price quotes for your business. You never need to leave your computer as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. How cool is that?!
Deciding on a company shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
Two different types of auto insurance agents
When researching an insurance agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies that you can select. Agencies are either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can do a good job, but it’s worth learning the difference between them since it may influence buying decisions.
Agency Captives
These agents are contracted to one company such as AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. These agents are not able to provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. They are well schooled on their company’s products which can be an advantage.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agents do not work for one specific company but rather can write business with lots of companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally and that require little work on your part.
When comparison shopping, we recommend you get quotes from at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection.
To view a full list of auto insurance agents, click here.
Once you have received answers to your satisfaction to these questions and a low price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agent that can insure your vehicles.
What is the best insurance coverage?
When buying the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions can help discover if your situation would benefit from professional advice.
- How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
- Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
- Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
- Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
- Should I buy only the required minimum liability coverage?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and can help protect your family.
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
We covered quite a bit of information on how to get a better price on Dodge Mini Ram Van insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. They often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
The cheapest Dodge Mini Ram Van insurance is available both online and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some auto insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
