Searching for low-cost Coralville car insurance on the internet may be rather challenging for consumers not familiar with comparing rates online. With such a large number of online companies available, how can Coralville drivers effectively compare them all to find the best pricing?
It is always a good idea to do rate comparisons occasionally because rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you got the best rates a year ago you may be paying too much now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the fastest way to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.
Finding Car Insurance Deals in Coralville
Cutting your car insurance rates isn’t really that difficult. Drivers just need to invest a few minutes to compare quotes online from several insurance companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
The single most time-saving way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating separate quotation requests for each company. One simple form will return quotes from multiple low-cost companies. Recommended for those who want to invest the least amount of time.
A more time consuming way to get quotes online requires a trip to each company website and complete a new quote form. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want comparison quotes from Auto-Owners, Safeco and Liberty Mutual. To find out each rate you need to go to every website to input your insurance information, which is why most consumers use the first method.
For a list of links to insurance companies in Coralville, click here.
Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using exactly the same quote information for each price quote. If your comparisons have different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to determine the best price in Coralville.
Is there truth in advertising?
Consumers in Iowa can’t get away from ads that promise big savings from companies such as State Farm and Allstate. They all seem to make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you switch your policy.
How does each company claim to save you money?
Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the right customer that earns them a profit. For example, a driver they prefer could be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has excellent credit. A customer that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.
Drivers who don’t qualify for this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate and this can result in the customer not buying. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can claim big savings. This illustrates why it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. It’s impossible to know which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
Do you qualify for these seven discounts?
Auto insurance companies don’t list all available discounts very well, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If you don’t get every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Discount for New Cars – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
- Student Driver Training – Have your child enroll in driver’s education in school.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-36.jpg" alt="Coralville Iowa car insurance“/>
Don’t assume everyone needs the same coverage
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there isn’t really a cookie cutter policy. Every insured’s situation is different.
Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if you would benefit from professional advice.
- How much liability coverage do I need in Iowa?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- Should I buy additional glass protection?
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Iowa?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.
Car insurance coverage options
Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (20/40/15), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Medical expense coverage
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for short-term medical expenses such as X-ray expenses, ambulance fees and hospital visits. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers both the driver and occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive protection
This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims such as theft, fire damage, vandalism, damage from getting keyed and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Auto collision coverage
Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers claims such as driving through your garage door, hitting a parking meter and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.
Auto liability
Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability can pay for things such as funeral expenses, emergency aid, loss of income, medical services and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Iowa requires drivers to carry at least 20,000/40,000/15,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
Shop smart and save
Affordable car insurance can be sourced online and also from your neighborhood Coralville agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some car insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, unfair underwriting practices, being labeled a high risk driver and even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a great new company can be pretty painless.
When you buy insurance online, never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.
Additional Iowa consumer information
Additional detailed information can be found at the Iowa Insurance Division website. Consumers can file complaints about a company, learn about insurance regulations, find a variety of consumer forms, and find out which companies have the most complaints.