Paying for pricey auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your bank account and possibly require you to analyze your spending habits. Price shopping at each renewal is recommended to cut your insurance bill.
Big-name insurance companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico promote their brand names with advertising and it is difficult to ignore the promise of big savings and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
Buy Cooper City auto insurance online
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can be a daunting task if you aren’t aware of the most efficient way. You can waste hours talking to agents in Cooper City, or you could save time and use the internet to get the quickest rates.
Many of the larger companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers enter their coverage request one time, and each company can provide price quotes based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions for every auto insurance company. To participate in this free quote system, click here (opens in new window).
The one downside to using this type of system is that consumers can’t choose which insurance companies to get pricing from. If you would rather choose specific insurance companies to compare prices, we have assembled a list of auto insurance companies in Florida. Click to view list.
The approach you take is up to you, just do your best to enter identical information on every quote you get. If your comparisons have unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be very difficult to find the best deal in Cooper City. Just slight variations in limits can make a big difference in price. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that comparing more rates from different companies increases the change that you will find the best rates. Not every company provides price estimates online, so you also need to get price estimates from them, too.
Auto insurance ads are enticing
Popular auto insurance providers such as Geico, State Farm and Progressive regularly use ads on television and other media. All the companies make the point that people will save after switching your policy. How does every auto insurance company lower your rates?
All the different companies offer their best rates for a prospective insured they prefer to insure. One example of a driver they prefer could be between 25 and 40, has never had a claim, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Someone who matches that profile will probably get the lowest rates and will also save some money.
People who may not quite match the “perfect” profile will see higher premiums with the end result being the customer buying from someone else. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “everyone who gets a quote” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can advertise the way they do.
This emphasizes why you should get as many as possible. It’s not possible to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest car insurance rates.
Earn discounts on Cooper City auto insurance
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may qualify for discounts to cut the cost considerably. A few discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but once in a while a discount must be inquired about before they will apply.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-97.jpg" alt="Cooper City insurance quotes” />
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Own a Home – Being a homeowner may trigger a policy discount on auto insurance because maintaining a house requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save 10% or more off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Switch and Save Discount – A few auto insurance companies allow discounts for signing up prior to the expiration date on your current policy. This can save 10% or more.
- Accident Forgiveness – Not a discount per se, but a few companies such as State Farm and Allstate will let one accident slide without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
You should keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
Some of the insurance companies who may offer most of these discounts are:
Check with all the companies what discounts are available to you. Discounts might not be offered in Cooper City. To see a list of auto insurance companies with discount rates in Florida, click this link.
Detailed coverages of your auto insurance policy
Knowing the specifics of auto insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since many Florida drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (10/20/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
Liability coverages
This coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property in an accident. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for things such as court costs, legal defense fees and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Florida state law requires minimum liability limits of 10,000/20,000/10,000 but drivers should carry higher limits.
Collision coverage
Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things like rolling your car, crashing into a building, colliding with another moving vehicle and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive protection
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like a tree branch falling on your vehicle, theft, hitting a deer, hail damage and rock chips in glass. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Medical expense coverage
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for bills for things like doctor visits, pain medications, chiropractic care and ambulance fees. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Much more information about auto insurance in Florida can be found on the website for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation through this link. Florida drivers can report car insurance fraud, find disaster information, and view a list of available companies.
In the end, you save
More affordable auto insurance can be sourced online and from local agencies, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies may not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agents.
You just learned many tips how you can save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on auto insurance is with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many cases, an insured cut physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.