Finding cheap Florence auto insurance over the internet may be rather challenging for people who are new to comparison shopping online. With a ridiculous number of insurance companies available, how can consumers have a chance to compare the different rates to find the best available rates?
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using.
- Driver’s Ed – Cut your cost by having your teen driver take driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- E-sign – A handful of insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application online.
- Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Organization Discounts – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance.
- Safety Course Discount – Completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Select companies give a discount for switching policies before your current policy expires. The savings is around 10%.
- Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags can get savings up to 30%.
Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it just doesn’t work that way.
Do I just need basic coverages?
When it comes to buying coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Each situation is unique.
Here are some questions about coverages that may help you determine if your insurance needs could use an agent’s help.
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
- Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Kentucky?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Kentucky?
- Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
- Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
- What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form.
Additional detailed information is located at the Kentucky Department of Insurance website. Consumers can learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, view agent and company licensing information, and download brochures.
Auto insurance coverages and their meanings
Knowing the specifics of your auto insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.
Coverage for collisions
This will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things like damaging your car on a curb, colliding with a tree, crashing into a ditch, rolling your car and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive coverage
This pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a broken windshield, damage from a tornado or hurricane, vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and fire damage. The maximum payout your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability car insurance
This coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have values of 50/100/50 that means you have a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability insurance covers claims like structural damage, emergency aid and pain and suffering. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible. Kentucky requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for immediate expenses for things like hospital visits, dental work, EMT expenses and nursing services. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
This coverage gives you protection when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Kentucky limits are 25/50/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Smart consumers save more
Consumers change insurance companies for many reasons like extreme rates for teen drivers, denial of a claim, delays in responding to claim requests or even high rates after DUI convictions. Whatever your reason, finding a great new company is easier than you think.
As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, an accident victim reduced collision coverage only to regret they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
We just showed you some good ideas how to compare auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from a small local company.