People new to comparing rates online might discover shopping for the cheapest Iowa City car insurance is more work than they anticipated.
Pay less by taking advantage of these seven discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always list every discount very clearly, so the following is a list of some of the more common and also the lesser-known car insurance savings.
- Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child complete a driver education course in high school.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
For a list of providers offering car insurance discounts in Iowa City, click this link.
Fast and Easy Iowa City Car Insurance Quotes
There are several ways to compare quotes from local in Iowa Citycar insurance companies. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates is to get quotes online. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- The first (and easiest) way to get the best comparison quotes is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This method keeps you from doing repetitive form entry for each company you want a rate for. Taking the time to complete one form gets you coverage quotes from car insurance companies with the best prices. It’s the fastest way to compare.
- A slightly less efficient method to obtain and compare quotes online is to manually visit the website for each individual company to complete a price quote. For examples sake, we’ll pretend you want to compare Auto-Owners, Progressive and Geico. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Iowa City, click here.
Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using the exact same information for each price quote. If each company quotes different limits and deductibles on each one you will not be able to truly determine the lowest rate in Iowa City. Just a small difference in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps you find better pricing.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When choosing the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. Every situation is different.
For example, these questions might point out if you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Are rental cars covered under my policy?
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
- Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
- Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
- Should I buy only the required Iowa minimum liability coverage?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form.
What car insurance coverages do you need?
Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.
Comprehensive coverage – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as vandalism, fire damage, damage from getting keyed, damage from a tornado or hurricane and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum payout your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability insurance – Liability coverage will cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability can pay for things like attorney fees, funeral expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as much as you can afford. Iowa requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/15,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.
Collision – This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another car or object. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (20/40/15 in Iowa), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Medical payments coverage and PIP – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for expenses such as surgery, chiropractic care and rehabilitation expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers you and your occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Best coverage at the best price
You just read many ways to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, you should never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including policy cancellation, not issuing a premium refund, delays in paying claims or even poor customer service. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.
Additional detailed information can be found at the Iowa Insurance Division website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find disaster information.