Shopping online for Prattville car insurance is challenging if you are a beginner to online price comparisons. Don’t let that stop you because using the internet to shop for car insurance is actually quite easy.
If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. This article will let you in on how to effectively get price quotes and some tricks to saving. Nevertheless, Alabama vehicle owners can benefit from knowing the way insurance companies market insurance on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.
Save big with these eight discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of purchase, but a few need to be specifically requested in order for you to get them.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to complete a driver education course in school.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than less cautious drivers.
- Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Resident Student – Youth drivers living away from home attending college and don’t have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in Prattville can save you money because of the fact that having a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Auto/Life Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy life insurance.
- Sign Online – Some insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will cut the amount you have to pay.
For a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Prattville, follow this link.
But I don’t know anything about car insurance
When choosing coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether your personal situation may require specific advice.
- Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?
- Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
- When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Alabama?
- When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
- Is Alabama a no-fault state?
- Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
- Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form.
Coverage specifics
Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Collision coverage protection
Collision insurance 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 coverage protects against things like backing into a parked car, damaging your car on a curb, driving through your garage door, crashing into a ditch and colliding with a tree. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Auto liability
Liability insurance can cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people that is your fault. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t 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 commonly see limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Occasionally you may see a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage pays for claims like loss of income, funeral expenses, bail bonds, legal defense fees and emergency aid. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. Alabama requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
Insurance for medical payments
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for bills such as surgery, funeral costs, dental work, chiropractic care and EMT expenses. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers all vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 25/50/25), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Usually these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like vandalism, damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding, a broken windshield and rock chips in glass. The most your car insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Much more information about car insurance in Alabama can be found on the Alabama Department of Insurance website found here. Visitors are able to file complaints about a company, find disaster information, download brochures, and read industry bulletins.
Best coverage at the best price
In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to lower your car insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.
Lower-priced car insurance can be sourced both online in addition to many Prattville insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
People change insurance companies for many reasons like high rates after DUI convictions, extreme rates for teen drivers, an unsatisfactory settlement offer and even denial of a claim. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new car insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.