Have you had enough of robbing Peter to pay Paul to buy car insurance? You’re in the same situation as many other Wisconsin consumers.
Because you have many choices, it is hard for the average consumer to locate the most affordable provider.
This article will tell you how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to save some money using these tips. Nevertheless, Wisconsin car owners must comprehend how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.
These nine discounts can slash car insurance rates
Car insurance is not cheap, but there could be available discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some discounts apply automatically at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.
- Defensive Driver – Taking a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
- No Accidents – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less as compared to bad drivers.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Multi-car Discount – Having more than one vehicle on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- Save over 55 – Mature drivers may receive a discount up to 10%.
- Distant Student – Any of your kids who are attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
- Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
It’s important to note that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.
To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Wisconsin, follow this link.
Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Mequon, WI
When shopping for car insurance there are multiple ways to compare rate quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The easiest way by far to find competitive insurance rates consists of shopping online. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- The recommended way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This method keeps you from doing separate quote forms for every car insurance company. A single form will get you rate comparisons from several companies.
- A more difficult way to shop for car insurance online is to take the time to go to each company website to request a price quote. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want to compare Liberty Mutual, Allstate and Travelers. To get each rate you have to go to every website and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Mequon, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing exactly the same coverage limits with each company. If you compare different values for each quote it’s not possible to make an equal comparison in Mequon. Having just a slight variation in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. And when quoting car insurance, remember that quoting more will enable you to find better pricing.
Coverages available on your policy
Understanding the coverages of your policy aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the normal coverages available from car insurance companies.
Collision coverages – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers claims like scraping a guard rail, sideswiping another vehicle, crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a mailbox. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (50/100/55), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Comprehensive auto coverage – This will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like hitting a bird, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Medical payments and PIP coverage – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses such as surgery, EMT expenses, rehabilitation expenses, nursing services and pain medications. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Liability car insurance – Liability insurance can cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might 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. Another option is a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as attorney fees, bail bonds, medical services and medical expenses. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Wisconsin requires drivers to carry at least 50,000/100,000/55,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Final considerations
Discount car insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Mequon insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
We just showed you a lot of techniques to get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the best prices are with a small local company. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and Geico.