Are you irritated from not being able to afford to buy car insurance? You are no different than the majority of other drivers in Wisconsin. Many car insurance companies vie for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and uncover the absolute best price available.
It is always a good idea to shop coverage around on a regular basis since insurance prices are usually higher with each renewal. Just because you had the best deal last year there may be better deals available now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the easiest way to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.
More affordable rates by taking advantage of these five discounts
Car insurance is neither fun to buy or cheap, but there may be some discounts to help bring down the price. Many discounts should be triggered at the time you complete a quote, but once in a while a discount must be asked for before you will receive the discount.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Larger companies have better premium rates if you take out life insurance from them.
- Good Student Discount – Performing well in school may save as much as 25% on a . This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings of 20% or more.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit could trigger a small discount.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking time to complete a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
As is typical with insurance, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So even though you would think all those discounts means the company will pay you, you aren’t that lucky.
If you would like to see a list of companies that offer discounts in Wisconsin, follow this link.
There are a lot of ways to compare car insurance quotes, and some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a lot of time discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in Cedarburg, or you could use the web for quick rates.
Most of the larger companies take part in a program where prospective buyers enter their coverage request one time, and at least one company provides a quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing form submissions for each company you want a rate for.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to using this type of system is you cannot specify the insurers you will receive quotes from. If you wish to select from a list of companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of low cost car insurance companies in Wisconsin. Click here to view list.
You can choose any of those ways to find more affodable coverage, but try to use exactly the same information on every quote. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one it’s not possible to determine the lowest rate in Cedarburg. Having just a slight variation in limits could skew the results. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that comparing more company’s prices increases your odds of finding the best offered rates. Some regional insurers cannot provide online price quotes, so it’s necessary to compare quotes from the smaller companies as well.
How much car insurance do I need?
When it comes to buying coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions might point out if your situation would benefit from professional advice.
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in Wisconsin?
- Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
- Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
- Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
- Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
- Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
- Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
The coverage is in the details
Having a good grasp of your policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are the normal coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits (50/100/55), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.
Liability insurance – Liability coverage will cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people. This coverage protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see policy limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as legal defense fees, repair costs for stationary objects, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, court costs and emergency aid. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Wisconsin state law requires minimum liability limits of 50,000/100,000/55,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Medical payments coverage and PIP – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for bills for hospital visits, pain medications and dental work. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive coverage – This pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like rock chips in glass, vandalism, hitting a deer and damage from getting keyed. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers things like hitting a parking meter, sideswiping another vehicle and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Online plus local equals savings
More affordable car insurance can be sourced both online and from local insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who may not offer internet price quotes and many times these smaller companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
We’ve covered many ideas to save on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest auto insurance rates come from a small local company. Some small companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.
Additional car insurance information is available on the website for the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. Click here for link. Wisconsin consumers can download brochures, read industry bulletins, get help finding coverage, and read consumer alerts.