Are you overwhelmed by the sheer number of car insurance choices in Windsor? You’re not alone. Drivers have so many choices that it can easily become a challenge to find the lowest price.
It’s important to do rate comparisons at least once a year because prices tend to go up over time. Even if you got the best rates a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to how to use online quotes to buy cheaper car insurance.
If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can follow these tips to shop for the lowest rates while maintaining coverages. The purpose of this article is to help educate you on the best way to quote coverages and some money-saving tips. Colorado vehicle owners just need to learn how to compare price quotes online.
Windsor Car Insurance Prices Online
Getting a cheaper price on insurance is a fairly straight forward process. Consumers just need to spend a little time to compare rate quotes provided by online insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.
- The first (and easiest) way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating separate quotes to each individual car insurance company. Completing one form gets rate comparisons direct from many companies. This is perfect if you don’t have a lot of time.
- Another way to compare prices requires you to visit the website for each individual company and fill out their own quote form. For example, we’ll assume you want comparison quotes from Nationwide, Farmers and State Farm. To get each rate you have to visit each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to insurance companies in Windsor, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples coverage limits on every quote. If you enter different limits and deductibles on each one you will not be able to make an equal comparison in Windsor.
Discounts can save BIG
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be specifically requested before you will receive the discount. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.
- Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you may reduce your total bill.
- Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less when compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
- Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
- Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
- Senior Citizens – Older drivers may be able to get better car insurance rates.
It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won’t be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.
To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Colorado, click here to view.
Auto insurance coverages
Understanding the coverages of car insurance aids in choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/15), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Most of the time these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like a broken windshield, hitting a bird, hitting a deer, fire damage and falling objects. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Auto collision coverage
Collision coverage covers damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things like sustaining damage from a pot hole, colliding with another moving vehicle, backing into a parked car and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Insurance for medical payments
Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for bills for things like hospital visits, dental work, nursing services, pain medications and surgery. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Liability insurance
Liability insurance protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against things like court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, loss of income and medical services. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as much as you can afford. Colorado state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/15,000 but drivers should carry higher limits.
More effort can pay off
We’ve covered many tips how you can lower your car insurance rates. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the best price on car insurance is with the least-expected company.
Cost effective car insurance is available from both online companies in addition to many Windsor insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.
People switch companies for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, delays in paying claims, extreme rates for teen drivers or poor customer service. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a great new company is not as difficult as it may seem.
Additional information is located on the Colorado DORA Division of Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, read industry bulletins, learn about insurance regulations, and view a list of available companies.